Little ANBU
by Electrified by Evil
Summary: Guess who? Naruto, that's who! Our favorite little blond has taken up training since a young age and even has an ANBU squad to his name! He is feared everywhere, stronger than anyone. But he has a few problems. He's lonely, and in love. Strong Naruto.
1. Squad and Team Seven

**I don't own Naruto. Never have, never will.**

Naruto gave a yawn as he woke up. He had finally graduated from the academy.

He gave a snort as he thought of that.

He grumbled, flipping the sheets off of his body and sliding out of bed.

After taking a shower, he got dressed. He didn't think he would need to, but he made sure to put on his normal clothes on under his bright orange outfit. He wore standard black ninja pants with two bandages wrapped around his pant legs, keeping them tight to his body so they wouldn't make a sound. On top of that, he wore a short-sleeved black shirt that clung to his body. His arms were covered in bandages from his elbow down, covering hundreds of little tattoos.

Over that, he wore a large orange jacket with many pockets. A small whistle hung off the shoulder that also had his clan symbol sewed in; the Uzumaki spiral. He wore this jacket zipped up all the way, hiding his fit body from the world. His bright orange pants were baggy enough to fit over his black pants as well, successfully making him look like a knuckleheaded ninja.

He strapped on his kunai pouch and slid it around so that it rested at his butt. He didn't wear another one. He slipped a katana sheath under his orange pants and strapped it to his leg, only putting the sharp sword back into its plain sheath after it was secure. He made sure that everything was in perfect order before sitting down to eat breakfast.

A black-clothed shadow clone handed him a plate of food and a glass of milk before disappearing. He had made four clones to prepare breakfast, and the last one hadn't 'killed itself' yet. He frowned before pasting an emotionless face on. The clone hurried over and placed four bowls on the other side of the table, pinching itself a moment later to go away.

Naruto finally smiled as two cats leapt up onto the table. One was pure white, lean and wiry. Her fur was soft, but it was kept short so that it didn't get in her way. Very light red bandages curled their way up her front legs, allowing her easier mobility. A few tufts of fur peeked out, but it didn't matter. Her tail was long and thin, but it was deadly strong. She wore a headband around her neck, but instead of the Konoha symbol, an Uzumaki swirl was carved into it. Her eyes were both golden, but one of them bore a scar. This cats name was Yin.

The other cat was a little larger, with a thicker build. His fur was jet black, sleek and short. His eyes were the same color as Yin's, gold, but he didn't have a scar over his eye. His scar was on his right ear, a nick showing amid his black fur. He didn't wear bandages around his front legs, but he did have the same type of headband tied around his neck. His tail was short compared to Yin's, but he didn't use it much. Instead, he relied on his sharp claws and teeth. His name was Yang.

Both cats ate quickly but politely, lapping up warm milk with pink tongues. Naruto ate his food quickly as well, watching them with kindness and love in his eyes. They were about five years old, adopted by Naruto when they were kittens. Naruto didn't find them, though, oh no. Yin had found him as a three week old kitten, the only one in her litter to survive. She was hungry and cold and tired, and she rested on Naruto's chest. He had recently just gotten beaten up by a mob, on his birthday, and was healing rather slow that night. She seemed to help his healing, and he always thanks her for saving his life that night. She started training with him.

The other cat, Yang, was adopted in the same manner. He came along as a month old kitten when Naruto needed help from his attackers. He somehow managed to drag five ANBU members to Naruto right before Naruto would have been killed. Yang joined their quest soon after, bribed with catnip and milk.

Now the three were a sub-ANBU team, and Naruto was the captain. He only brought Yang with him on team missions, though. Yin was his secret. He was the captain of Squad Seven, and he had three other members. He took command over two other males, Inu and Mitsu, and one female, Rona. Those were their codenames, of course. He did know who they all were, however, but because they were the closest things he had to friends he kept his secret. ANBU prided themselves on keeping their identities a secret.

Naruto finally got up from his seat, creating three shadow clones to clean up their dishes. He didn't use any handseals, already having mastered this Jutsu so that he could make a small amount of shadow clones with will alone.

* * *

Naruto sat down in the seat next to his 'rival', Sasuke, and rested his head on the desk. Today they were going to be given Jonin sensei's, and he wished for the millionth time he could stop his charade and show people what he could really do. But no, he had to keep it up in case old man Hokage kicked him out of the ANBU. He actually fooled everyone there, signing up under a false real name and an even falser identity. In ANBU, his hair was black and his mask was of a bunny. It had been humiliating at first, but then he had made a name for himself.

His ANBU team was famous in the ranks, and Naruto was also in the bingo book. His rank was "SS-rank, flee on sight". His name was "Ruby Maelstrom."

* * *

Naruto raised his head off the table and glanced to the right, ears hearing something in the distance other than the usual chatter. He noticed Sasuke glancing his way, but he ignored him. His shoulders fell from their hunched position a moment later, and his eyes closed once more. His body stayed tensed, ready for whatever he heard. He could tell Sasuke wondered what the hell was wrong, and he turned with a big smile plastered on his face.

"Get ready, teme! Your fangirls are here!"

Sasuke's face visibly paled and he nodded once, actually listening to Naruto without insulting him. Naruto shrugged and made sure he was settled back into his seat before resting his head back on his desk. To everyone else, it looked like he was sleeping. But the blond was really ready to spring into action any moment.

Only moments later, two girls ran into the room, shoving and pushing each other. Naruto could hear their voices screeching in his ears, even though they were all the way at the back of the room. Wincing, he stopped channeling chakra to his ears so that he didn't get ear damage. Sakura and Ino raced down to the row with Naruto and Sasuke, clamoring for the broody boy's attention. Naruto didn't pay much attention, but when he heard his name being said he glanced up.

"What?" he asked, a smile bright on his face.

Sometimes he hated his mask.

"Get out of my seat, Naruto. I'm sitting next to Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto rolled his eyes, something that the group of girls watching him noticed right away.

"It's not your seat, we don't get assigned seats."

"Well, I want to sit there."

"Too bad, Sakura, I'm sitting here. I sit here every day, remember?"

Sakura was shocked that Naruto would actually talk back to her. She was used to him obeying her every command, like a slave or something. He had always asked her out on dates, but she turned him down every time. Sasuke-kun was hers!

Before Sakura could insult him for what he said, Iruka strolled into the room and called everyone to their seats. Sakura grumbled a little but sat down next to Naruto. At least she was closer than Ino….Oh no, wait! Ino was right _behind _Sasuke-kun! Sakura sent Naruto a sharp glare, but he didn't seem to notice.

"…Giving you your team assignments, alright? I'm going to start at team one…"

* * *

Naruto already knew what team he was on. Inu had talked to him about taking a break from ANBU to be a jonin sensei for a while. Naruto had accepted this easily, as Inu seemed to connect with him more than the others, and he wished him good luck. Later on, disguised as a prank, Naruto found out the team matchups. It figured that he was stuck on a team with Sasuke and Sakura, but the funniest part was that Inu was going to be his sensei. He would really have to step up his mask, since he knew if he put one toe out of line his sensei would know it was him.

* * *

Sakura had cheered when she found out that Sasuke would be on her team but seemed to flatten when Naruto's name was also called. He didn't bother with anything, since he already knew that. He just yawned and pretended to sleep. Sasuke didn't say a thing either. Behind him, Ino groaned; she had wanted Sasuke on her team.

After lunch, team seven was the last team in the room. Even Iruka had to leave; making Naruto a little sad that one of his precious people left him. He ignored Sakura's rambling about how cool and strong Sasuke-kun was. Sasuke really wasn't all that strong, but everyone seemed to think so. Well, not this blond ninja.

Finally Naruto felt his sensei's chakra and leapt from his seat, keeping his speed down so that the other two didn't get suspicious. Since this was the first time either of the boys showed any movement, Sakura stopped ranting about how it was love that brought Sasuke and her together. Naruto let out an odd little giggle as he pulled a chalkboard eraser from the front of the room and wedged it in the door. Sakura tried to scold him, but inside she was cackling.

Naruto sped to his seat and put his head back down on the desk, falling into a light sleep. He heard the eraser fall right onto the silver-haired man's head and resisted a laugh. Even though he had been taught to kill all emotions to be an effective ninja, he still found it funny. The rest of his emotions were locked up, away while he was on duty as a ninja. And that was a full time job.

"My first impression of you guys…. I hate you."

* * *

Up on the roof, Naruto kept bouncing around, acting his part of the knucklehead everyone knew him as. Inside, he wondered what their Genin test would be. He bet it would be the same test the man gave every time he asked for time off from squad seven to take on a genin team. So far Inu hadn't passed a single person.

"Alright, bouncy. Sit. Stay. Good boy."

Naruto kept up his grin, even when Sakura stifled a giggle. Sasuke let out a 'hn' and glanced away.

"Now. To get to know each other, I want you to state your name, your hobbies, likes, dislikes, dreams…" The man seemed to trail off.

"Why don't you go first, sensei?" Sakura asked, eyes wide.

"Alright. I'm Hatake Kakashi, I have many likes and dislikes…hobbies…hm….My dream isn't any of your business. You next, pinky."

Naruto actually smiled inside, a rare smile that he actually meant. Kakashi was still the same as ever. Never liked to reveal anything, only liked to know about other things. During their ANBU circle much like this one, they had to do the same thing as now. In place of their name, they gave their codename. When Kakashi had done this, he said the exact same thing. Eventually Naruto learned a lot more about the man, but he had to spy, cheat, and lie to get the information. One mission was so difficult at first that Kakashi thought they were going to die and Naruto had to fight for both of them, using ten clones to surround the pair to conceal them from harm. Kakashi had spilled his guts to the little boy, not caring that he was talking to a ten-year old. Kakashi had trusted his life and soul to his ANBU captain.

Naruto had gotten them out of it by using the Kyuubi's chakra, a genjutsu over his team's eyes to make them see a different chakra so they didn't know it was really Naruto. Kakashi had apologized after, when Naruto had dragged everyone on their team back three days later, starving and injured. The only thing that kept them alive was that Naruto felt so light after Kakashi had trusted him entirely that he went into two tails and killed every enemy in two minutes flat. After that he had hunted for them, feeding them after roasting it with a fire Jutsu. Kakashi had been the worst, since he froze up for the first time ever during a mission. That was only four days before he resigned again in hopes of passing a genin team.

Naruto had missed Sakura's introduction, but it was Sasuke's he had to listen to.

"Uchiha Sasuke. No hobbies, few likes, many dislikes. I don't really have a dream as much as an ambition….to kill a certain man…"

Naruto sighed internally. This was the mission that he had self-appointed after reading all his classmates files; to save Sasuke from himself. Sasuke's file had been full of praise, and he had wondered why his class mate had been talked about so much. He watched over him for three months before making it his job to make sure that Sasuke didn't go mental, or at the very least not let Sasuke leave Konoha.

"You're up, bouncy."

Naruto gave him a modified glare before going on eagerly. At least, he hoped he sounded eager.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I love ramen. I hate the three minutes it takes for instant ramen to cook. I have many hobbies, including pranks and taking care of my two pets. And my dream is to become Hokage!"

In reality, Naruto could easily become Hokage. He had even invented a Jutsu that took out perverts, and the old man was taken down so quickly that no other man alive beat his record for fainting from blood loss. His chakra level was easily over Kage, and with the Kyuubi's chakra and strength it made him even stronger. His speed rivaled no one and his attacks were based on hit and hit harder. His healing ability made it easy to keep healthy, and even if he got hurt during the battle, he bounced back so quickly that he didn't even notice it. He could fight until everything was dead without even stopping to heal himself or focus on defense.

He caught Kakashi's serious gaze, even though he doubted the other two didn't. He must have been thinking, just like Naruto. Finally he relaxed and seemed to lighten up a bit.

"Okay, well I'll see you three tomorrow for your Genin test!" Kakashi spouted cheerfully.

Sakura narrowed her gaze in confusion. "But Kaka-sensei, we already took the test. We're already Genin."

Kakashi shook his head.

"Nope. That was just to weed out the really bad ones. This is the actual test. Now, I'll see you tomorrow at six am. Oh, and don't eat breakfast."

Sasuke spoke up now, "Why not?"

Kakashi's gaze looked serious again. "Because you'll throw up."

* * *

Naruto got a little training in before he decided to pick up a mission with squad seven. Since Kakashi was still on until he knew his team had passed, they could still take full team missions.

Naruto brought along Yang, as he always did. Yin stayed at home, but only because Naruto wanted to bring her tomorrow for the test. It was good to keep a surprise up his sleeve, and Kakashi hadn't met Yin yet. Yang was the one that went on ANBU missions.

He shoved his orange gear away and slipped four scrolls into his lightweight vest, most of his equipment in them just in case. If he needed to go Kyuubi-mode again, he wanted to at least have better food than rabbit or fish, even though both were healthy. He liked ration bars better, and having tents and blankets were a plus. He had a whole case of soldier pills in case of emergency as well. All of this and more were sealed into these scrolls. He channeled a little bit of chakra to one of the tattoos on his arms, bandages missing. He didn't wear them on missions. Blood got in the way. As the seal tattoo took effect, his hair turned black and his chakra coils seemed a little different. No one suspected him to be Naruto now.

He tied his porcelain mask around his head and left in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

Naruto yelled out commands to his team, using phrases only they knew to confuse the enemy.

"Inu! Use a Chidori on ninja number two!"

Naruto had numbered the ninja, targeting them with a nod and hand sign to tell his team before they lunged in.

"Mitsu! To your right!"

Naruto himself was facing ten ninja on his own, slashing with his sword and killing ninjas with a single punch. His strength was a part of it, but he added chakra to it and made sure he hit the nose going up. Bones always shot into their brain, killing them quite easily. A sword through the heart worked quite well, too.

Naruto managed to kill all of his attackers in time to see Kakashi on his knees, blood gurgling out of his mouth. A ninja was posed behind him, ready to take the kill. Naruto's blood boiled, and in an instant his chakra flared red and he was between the ninja and his comrade. His blade, held in his left hand, was buried in the man's stomach. His right fist was imbedded in the ninja's chest, a hole going right through his heart. Kakashi fell over, unconscious, but Naruto did not turn to help him. Not yet.

When the blond captain was finally finished with the man, you couldn't even recognize him. He was just guts and blood. Naruto didn't let his chakra go, however. He just turned and knelt, forcing a medical jutsu through to the man beneath him. He barely moved as Rona joined him, moving his hands through seals that would make their work better. Naruto supplied the chakra, while Rona supplied the smarts. Naruto made a clone as fast as he could to get something out of his vest.

Using the clone to get the soldier pills out of his vest, he swallowed five and closed his eyes in preparation for the pain. Once it started to leak through, he shoved the chakra through Rona's hands into Kakashi's heart. They managed to restart it and Rona used some of Naruto's chakra to make a clone of her own, sending it around Kakashi's body to start healing his other wounds.

Kakashi took a deep, shuddering breath, and Naruto thought quickly, seeing through a red haze of bloodlust. He ripped off Kakashi's ANBU mask and gently peeled his facemask off. The man on the ground didn't move, but his chest heaved up and down, desperately searching for oxygen. Naruto shoved chakra into his civilian mask tattoo and ripped off his own mask. He pressed his lips to his subordinates and blew air deep into Kakashi's lungs. He went back up and pushed a clawed hand down gently on his ninja's chest and applied some healing chakra, feeling where the damage was. He blew into Kakashi's mouth once more before satisfied the man would live.

Rona checked over Inu one more time and finished wrapping a leg wound that she didn't have enough chakra to heal. She nodded once to Naruto and he slipped his mask back up, switching back to his real face with black hair for ANBU. He glanced over to see where Mitsu was. Rona's twin was leaning heavily against a tree, wrapping a bandage clumsily around his hand.

As Rona rushed over to help him, Naruto picked Inu up bridal style, he couldn't carry him any other way, and started walking home. The man was still breathing, but they needed to get home before another attack could be launched. They finished their mission, anyways.

* * *

The next morning Naruto got up a little late. He awoke at seven-thirty, but he didn't care. He figured that Kakashi would need time to rest it off anyways, so he wouldn't be late compared to his sensei. He went through his normal routine, this time holding Yin in his arms as he walked out the door. One hand stroked her fur slowly as he made his way to the training ground.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura were already there, looking tired and hungry. Naruto, not actually very tired even though he went on a deadly mission the night before, gave a big grin.

"Heya, sleepy heads!"

Sakura gave him a withering look.

"You're calling us sleepy heads?"

Naruto just widened his grin.

"Well, since you are tired, and I'm not…"

Sakura just sighed and motioned for him to sit down.

"Hey…" Naruto began, actually quietly for once, "I know that you don't trust me, but I know all about Kakashi-sensei. He won't be here for a while, so why don't you rest while you have time? I don't mind keeping watch…"

Sakura looked at him like he was crazy, but Sasuke nodded and closed his eyes, leaning once more against the tree. He was asleep in an instant, but Naruto shook him awake a moment later. Sasuke was prepared to growl at the blond, but instead of seeing a bright smile right in his face, an apple and a brown bar were being handed to him. He unwrapped the bar slowly and took a bite. He almost spit it out.

"What the hell?"

"Ration bar" Naruto murmured. "Gives you plenty of energy. Sensei said not to eat, but I think he was trying to see if we would follow the rules. Plus, we need strength if we need to do whatever he wants us to do."

Sasuke grimaced but finished the bar quickly. After he ate his apple he went back to sleep. Sakura, after seeing Sasuke eat what Naruto gave him, ate her food without complaint. She scrunched her eyes up while eating the nutritious bar, but she kept quiet.

"Thanks" she murmured before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Naruto let Yin prance around the clearing, chasing butterflies while waiting. He wanted to do something, but even training would wake Sasuke and Sakura from their light slumber. So he did the ANBU thing and stayed where he was, relaxed but focusing on staying safe. He didn't even realize as three more hours passed by like it was nothing.

He felt Kakashi's chakra traveling closer, so he stood up and stretched for a second before gently nudging his team with his foot. Sakura woke with a start, but she stood up and stretched. Sasuke just stood with a light yawn. They looked better than before, and he hoped they were ready for this test.

* * *

Kakashi finally stopped in front of them. He seemed to be smiling, and he carried a clock and three lunches. Naruto grinned at him, but Kakashi seemed not to notice. Naruto did pick up on the slight limp the man had, but the other two didn't notice anything wrong. He made a note to work on observation skills. He hoped that his friend wouldn't go too hard on himself, since he would most likely reopen a wound.

"Right, so-"

"YOU'RE LATE!"

Kakashi seemed to wince, although again only the blond saw it. He shook his head slightly and gazed at his new sensei, wondering if he would make it without collapsing.

"Today I got lost on the road of life."

"Liar" Sakura said, a little quieter this time. She stuck out her tongue at him.

Kakashi smiled at this, his one visible eye crinkling up into an upside-down U shape.

"Now, today we're going to do the bell test. You three have to come at me with the intent to kill. Your objective is to get these bells." The jonin gestured to the two bells hanging off his belt.

"Hey, wait" Sakura protested, catching onto the numbers in a second.

"There are only two bells, and there are three of us!"

"Sakura is correct!" Kakashi grinned, "One of you isn't passing. Only two of you can go on and become Genin and hopefully onward. The third one, the one without a bell, will go back to the academy."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and Naruto bet that he was really focusing on getting a bell. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"So, so" he started, drawing attention to himself, "what would happen if we really killed you? Would we pass?"

Sasuke was staring at him like he couldn't be serious. Sakura voiced those thoughts out loud.

"Naruto-baka, you couldn't kill a Jonin!"

Kakashi was looking at him thoughtfully, like he couldn't place something.

"Oh well. Anyways, was there anything else?" Naruto asked sweetly.

Just as Kakashi was shaking his head, Yin jumped into Naruto's arms. He held a hand out right in front of her face, and she parted her jaws to let two small objects fall into his palm.

Naruto grinned at the three of them staring at him. "I win" he stated.

Yin purred and jumped back down, continuing her butterfly chase. He used one hand to rub the back of his neck, a foxy grin plastered on his face. Then he turned serious and faced his two team mates. He placed one bell in each of their hands.

"Here." He said, backing up a step.

Sakura looked confused. "Why…?"

"I don't need 'em. Sasuke, you need to go on to fulfill your goal, and Sakura, you can help him. I don't mind going through the academy again. It wasn't like I did much work anyways!" Naruto sounded cheerful, even though they guessed he wasn't.

Kakashi watched carefully, to see what the other two would do.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered.

"Here." Sasuke held his bell out to Kakashi.

Now Naruto looked surprised. He tilted his head and waited for the explanation.

"If Naruto goes back, I go back."

Sakura glanced at both of them before shoving her bell back to Kakashi as well.

"Me too. We're a team, right?"

Naruto nodded slowly, his grin gone. He didn't wear a frown, but his face was emotionless.

Kakashi looked into his hand, which held the now returned bells. _This has never happened before. Oh well. _

"You all….. Pass!"

"WHAT?!"

* * *

**Okay! So if you're new, carry on! If you're rereading or have been alerted to chapters or something, read this! I wanted to clear some things up, so I edited all I have posted here. Nothing too dramatic, but I did change a few things. Hopefully it isn't as confusing, and in the next chapter I believe it's introduced - they are not 12/13 years old. I know, I know, a lot of fanfics change it, but... I like being able to explore with whatever. It's hard to add romance (important but not the main concept) when they're only 13. So! Other than that, it's pretty much the same. Though, Naruto is still short. Teehee!**


	2. Hinata is found out

Naruto was waiting for the last two members of Squad Seven to show up before he would tell them about the next mission they would be on. His gaze flew to the side, prompting Rona and Mitsu to do the same. They had been relaxed a moment ago, but when your ANBU captain sees or hears something, you look or listen the same way.

Eventually they looked away and looked bored again. Nothing was there.

Until another moment later Kakashi or 'Inu' showed up. His mask was still on his face, but they could feel the serious mood. His mask looked blanker than ever.

"Inu."

"Rini-sama."

Naruto shifted his position to continue waiting for their newest member, who would replace Kakashi. He began right before Kakashi got too anxious.

"Inu, have you passed this…Genin team of yours for once?"

"You never cease to get right to the point. Yes, I actually have passed them. I am formally resigning from the ANBU. I'll… I'll miss you guys."

Naruto smiled under his own standard ANBU mask, even though they couldn't see it.

"We're sad to see you leave. Inu, I'm sorry for replacing you this quickly, but we already have another mission and we need another person. So without further ado, I'd like you to meet Aki."

Said person jumped out from behind a tree, mask completely bare save a small flaming heart in the rounded edge of white.

"Hello."

"Yo."

"Sup?"

"Does she look pretty?" Mitsu whispered to Rona.

Rona rolled her eyes and made a handsign. Her eyes went sightless and Mitsu could see. He rubbed his hands together and rolled his shoulders back and forth.

"Alright then. Inu, would you like to go on one last mission with us? I don't mind." Naruto spoke casually, and he really did wonder if Kakashi would accept or not. The man wouldn't do too much tomorrow anyways.

Inu seemed to contemplate this.

"Alright."

* * *

When they were halfway to their destination, the border between Konaha and Iwa, Inu pulled his former captain aside. Naruto let the others go on a little ahead, falling back slightly to talk in private. He checked to see if his hair was still dark before nodded for the other man to talk.

"What is it?" Naruto whispered.

"I have to thank you."

"For what?" Naruto's voice sounded surprised.

"For… everything, really. It's been an honor to serve under the Ruby Maelstrom. Not just that, but… You've saved my life on multiple occasions. It wouldn't feel right if I left without thanking you."

Naruto's eyes blinked away sudden tears. He was an elite ninja; he wasn't supposed to show emotion!

"Oh. Well, I guess you're welcome, Inu. I- I really couldn't bear to lose such a faithful subordinate."

Inu's eye blinked under his porcelain mask and a grin formed as well. It sounded awkward, but that was just how his captain worked. He didn't really know how to show emotion, but he ended up doing just that when he saved his team's butt time after time.

"And…Uhm…..After the last time you saved me…."

Naruto's mind flew to the most recent time he had saved Kakashi's life. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Yeah?"

"Can you not tell anyone that Ha- I mean I-"

Naruto's grin was close to bursting off his face. Kakashi was stumbling over words now, seemingly tongue-tied.

"Not to tell anyone that you kissed the 'Ruby Maelstrom' and lived? I won't if you won't. Besides, then everyone will pretend to be dying just to get a piece of this."

Kakashi's mouth was hanging open, even though no one could see it. His captain had never made jokes like _that. _He knew that this kid was a genius, and that he was only fifteen. His age in maturity was already higher than his own. It was humbling to know that others much stronger than him had the same type of humor.

"Did I steal your tongue that time, Inu? Or just remembering that moment?"

Kakashi's mind actually went back to that moment, moving a hand absently to his lips. Instead of feeling his face, however, his fingers hit solid material. He felt something wake inside of him that he didn't know what to do with.

"No. Just…nothing."

Naruto snuck another look at Kakashi to try to figure out what the man had meant by that. But before he could make another comment, the rest of his team fell back.

"Rini. We've spotted the targets. Who do we get?"

Naruto's gaze settled on Aki. They all stopped and managed to hide their presence from their enemies.

"Good. Aki, go around so they can't retreat. Rona and Mitsu, flush them out. Inu, you'll come with me and take out the main problem. If you need help, just sign for it. I'll be watching everyone. Got it?"

His team nodded and he made two fluid handseals, disappearing without any signs that he was there. Kakashi hurried to follow, only seconds behind. Aki was slipping around back to make sure no one raised an alarm or got away. The twins just rushed in to create a distraction and take out the first few men stationed outside the little bunker.

* * *

Inu knew that his captain wanted to finish their conversation. Or he wanted to see…something. He wasn't stupid. But he knew that Rini was too – he wouldn't give up until the silver haired ninja told him. He knew that the youngest captain probably knew all of their identities. He himself had never seen the boy outside of missions and squad meetings, but he had felt his presence following him before. And he knew that it was only because the captain wanted him to know he was there.

He watched Rini spin in a circle, water flaring out from the puddle he was in. With a few swift handseals, the water ensnared the necks of the three closest ninja. Inu slid a sword out from its scabbard, slicing through the nearest human. His mind shut out all the blood and the thoughts of how easy it was to take a life. His thoughts were centered on the black-haired ninja helping him kill.

* * *

On the way back, Rona checked them for minor injuries. Naruto himself didn't have any, and he knew that Inu had only gotten nicked on the arm once. He watched as Aki came closer to get healing for her neck. The muscles were torn through, and they could all see her blood spilling out faster than it was healing. Their half-medic had almost gotten a heart attack when she started to heal their newest member, only to find that her heart had stopped.

This caused a slight panic in their ranks as they stopped and all pitched in to help. Meanwhile, Aki was gazing at them with a smile that could light up a room. Her mask had gotten lost in their confusion, and they could see her one brown eye. The other one was covered by her headband, pulled down just like Kakashi's. Naruto, however, just leaned calmly against a tree. Inu hadn't understood why he had gone into a panic over his old team but not the newbie.

Until his captain uttered one chilling word.

"Immortal."

* * *

Once they continued back to Konoha, Naruto pulled out a cigarette. He twirled it in his fingers, waiting impatiently until they got back to the base so that they could give their report and then disperse. Kakashi knew that they all had their own ways to cope with killing, and smoking was just Rini's. His was a little less obvious, even though he did it in plain sight. He read Icha Icha, not only to avoid talking to people in the streets but to forget all the blood.

"Right. Well, Inu, it was nice knowing you. Don't get yourself killed."

"I'll try not to, sempai." Kakashi gave a mock salute.

"Why do you call him that?" Aki spoke up.

Kakashi had been startled at the sudden question. He figured he might as well answer her.

"You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

Naruto hadn't been surprised to hear Kakashi call him sempai until Aki had asked her question. To be truthful, he really didn't know either. He had gotten so used to the older ninja referring to him as such, and he started to think on it. That is, until he had to give a small speech before he could leave. He had to go over their weaknesses on the mission. It had actually gone quite well, but there were a few things left to go over.

"Rona. Great job. You just need to be a tad bit faster. Work on that, please. Mitsu. Same, but you need to get faster on handseals. Yes, I saw that mistake. And finally, Aki."

Said ANBU member just tilted her head, waiting for the praise she so expected.

"Aki. Let's see. You were slow to get to the agreed position, you took too long to kill the assigned people, and…you spilt too much of your own blood. And left a trail for them to follow."

Aki's frown made him roll his eyes.

"This team has high expectations. Either live up to them or don't." He pushed roughly off the ground and into a tree.

"Dismissed."

* * *

After getting only three hours of sleep at home, the blond decided to meet with team seven early. He figured that the two Genin would get there right on time, so he just watched the birds and other living things interact. He sketched three pictures, not bothering to add color. They looked just fine when he shaded them in and added shadows and things.

Two hours later, Sasuke showed up. The raven was yawning, but when he saw Naruto he assumed an emotionless expression. A glare wormed its way through and Naruto was forced to adopt a large grin.

"Yo, Sasuke-teme!"

"Dobe."

Naruto watched with the same smile as Sasuke flopped to the ground against a tree near his.

"Tired, teme?"

"Shut up."

"Did the little Uchiha stay up all night?" Naruto himself had only gotten three hours of sleep.

"I slept just fine, thanks."

"Really? Then why are you tired, teme?"

Sasuke's glare lacked anger, though, since Naruto was dead on about the last Uchiha being sleepy. He looked away after a second and shrugged.

"Hn."

"Aww, getting all mopey on me? I'm shocked." Naruto's smile reformed into a pout.

"Just lemme sleep" Sasuke finally ground out, closing his eyes.

Sasuke was forced to snap them open not an instant later, however, when he felt a disturbance. His heart skipped a beat when he found Naruto not an inch away from his face, inspecting him with an odd sense of mother-ship.

"Nope. You didn't get enough sleep last night, Sasuke." Naruto tsked and waved a finger disapprovingly in his face.

Sasuke growled, but his mind wasn't really caught up yet. He was still wondering how the blond had gotten to him so quickly. _There must have been ten yards between us….The dobe could never have done that…_

"You're not Naruto" was what his mind came up with.

Naruto rolled his eyes and plopped down onto his butt in front of the other ninja.

"Of course I'm Naruto. That's my birth name, at least. I think it is…. I hope it is."

Before Sasuke could ask another question, Sakura showed up. Her loud squeal made Sasuke clap his hands over his ears. Naruto seemed pained as well, his normally happy features twisted into pain and fear.

"Sasuke-kun!"

This time, both boys couldn't hold back their groans.

* * *

It had been a long morning. After Sakura showed up, she wouldn't shut her mouth. She kept going on and on about 'Sasuke-kun' again. But this time she included Naruto. But her inclusion wasn't praise; it was the opposite. Even though he had been the one to get Kakashi to pass them, but…details, details.

She had only shut up when Sasuke snapped at her to do so, but only after muttering to herself about doing it for Sasuke-kun. She had seated herself close to the brooding boy, and every so often would inch closer, hoping he didn't notice. He did. He inched closer to the blond, even though he didn't notice that simple fact. And Naruto was just bored of waiting. He wondered if Kakashi had ever been this late to one of their briefing missions, and sighed when he realized the answer was yes.

So with the two Genin trying to get closer and further away, Naruto finally had to make his own fun. At the expense of the other two, of course. He made sure that Yin was there to be held, by Sakura, who had fallen in love with the white colored cat. Once she was in place, Naruto made a discrete shadow clone in the tree high above Sasuke. His clone henged into a bird, more shape shifting than disguise. It took lots of practice to do so, but he had managed to get a few basic animals down.

The bird had fluttered down and gently pecked Sasuke's head, annoying him more than hurting him. Sasuke had frozen at the light touch, his hand near his kunai pouch just in case. Sakura's eyes gazed at the bird curiously until she felt Yin bunching her muscles to spring.

"No!" The pinkette had shouted, moving her hands just in time for the cat to lunge at the bird. That was still sitting contentedly on the closest ninjas head.

Naruto had laughed for a long time, only just avoiding Sakura's blows to his head. She had chased him around for that prank after they had figured out it was his doing. Sakura had forgotten to help Sasuke, however, and the raven was forced to get Naruto's cat off his face by himself.

When Sasuke had finally gotten Yin detached from his face, though, Naruto offered to heal Sasuke. The scratched up Genin just let out a mighty humph and sent him a glare. Sakura just shook her head scornfully.

"You couldn't heal anyone, you're the dead last."

"You can't do it" Naruto shot back quietly.

Sakura found that she couldn't respond to that, since he was right, and had stayed silent the rest of the time. Sasuke just wiped the little blood that was there and watched for their sensei. Naruto settled back into waiting as well, hoping the two would think about what he had said. He wasn't disappointed.

* * *

Kakashi showed up late and wasn't surprised to see Sakura jump up to yell at him. He wasn't as tired as he had been the previous day, but his mind still loitered on his last ANBU mission. Blood and emotions could affect ninja in bad ways…

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Sorry, I…" his mind flitted through reasons to be late. "Sorry, I got lost on the road of life."

After Kakashi had told them his lie, they had gotten up to stand in a half-circle in front of him. Sasuke looked ready to fight someone, Sakura's gaze was flicking between him and Sasuke, and Naruto looked ready to jump into the wind to try his hand at flying.

_Why, oh why did I pass them…?_

* * *

"These missions are boring!" Naruto whined, changing his tone of voice to sound even higher pitched and annoying.

Kakashi shrugged, eyes still on his book, and didn't say anything. Naruto pouted but kept painting the fence.

"Dobe." Sasuke huffed, bored out of his mind as well. For the entire week, they hadn't done anything but minor, easy missions. Sure, they got paid for their hard work, but it was degrading for an Uchiha to be seen painting a _pink _fence.

"Oh, wait!" Naruto shouted, smacking his forehead with a palm.

The two others currently holding paintbrushes in their hands glanced at him curiously.

"I could have done this!" he hit himself again before making a handseal. Three more Naruto's stood around him, all wielding the same paintbrushes.

"Get to work!" the blond ordered them, laying down against the grass and closing his eyes.

The three new blonds shrugged at themselves and attacked the fence with paint. Sakura just blinked, trying to process what the solid clones implied. Sasuke, however, scowled; he had heard that Naruto had been able to defeat a Chunin with this skill, but he had never thought to confirm it. He himself had heard of it, but when he tried to perform it, the single shadow clone drained his chakra enough for him to faint.

Even though Naruto was an elite ninja, he couldn't dodge the two paint tools aimed at him.

* * *

"I don't see why you can't just take your jacket off, Naruto." Kakashi drawled, turning the page of his orange book.

Naruto scowled. "I just don't want to."

"It's dirty and the temperature is too hot to wear a thick jacket." Sakura supplied.

"I'm fine."

"Dobe, take the stupid jacked off."

"No." Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke.

Kakashi sighed and decided that they were done.

"Sasuke, Sakura, stop harassing Naruto. If he wants to keep his jacket on, he can. And Naruto, stop being childish."

Naruto looked hurt.

"I am a child" he said before leaping onto a random roof and running in the direction of his house.

Kakashi watched him go, wondering what he said. They weren't little kids anymore. They changed the levels after the war so that when you graduated from the academy, you did it around age fifteen. They were still young, but not at all like what it used to be. After too many kids tried to be like Itachi or Kakashi they upped the age required to graduate and become a genin. _What do I feel is off about you, Uzumaki…?_

"Um, Kaka-sensei?" Sakura tugged on his sleeve.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"C-can we go now?"

"Sure. See you tomorrow, team."

* * *

Naruto hadn't wanted to take off his jacket for a few reasons. They would probably see some of his tattoos, and they would most definitely see his real ninja gear. Kakashi would immediately figure out who he was, and he didn't want to know the Copy Ninja's reaction just yet. His fingers traced the scars on his face, mind going through some of the possible reactions. He didn't like any of them. He could only hope that it would be less suspicious to keep a jacket on then to show his black ANBU outfit.

Eventually he had to get up from the edge of his bed to feed his cats. They weren't making any noise, but staring at him with unblinking eyes sometimes unnerved him.

He just wished that he could smoke around his sensei without the man getting suspicious.

* * *

It was the next day that Naruto noticed someone following him. He didn't think it was much of a threat, but it was amusing to turn around and have a purple colored shape duck and hide. They weren't the best of stalkers, although he had seen worse. Like Sakura, for example.

Eventually he went into his favorite ramen shop and ordered two bowls, both miso. A moment later, they were set in front of him. He pushed the second bowl to his right a little. He didn't turn around but carefully called out,

"Would you like to join me?"

A small 'eep' was heard, and he ate some noodles. By the time he had finished half his bowl, a small figure had joined him.

"Hello, Hinata." He said coolly.

Hinata flinched and poked her fingers together.

"A-ano, N-Naruto-kun…"

Naruto nodded his head at her bowl and she squeaked before hesitantly picking up a pair of chopsticks. She delicately ate a few slurps. Silence hovered over them, and he waited until she had swallowed before asking his next question.

"Why were you following me?" He asked calmly, tilting his head and giving her a curious look.

Her face flushed red and she stirred her remaining noodles around her bowl. He quietly ordered another one for him and waited patiently for an answer. He actually knew, but he wanted to see if she would tell him.

"I- I…A-ano, Naru-Naruto-kun…"

Still he continued to wait, occasionally glancing over at her.

"I…" her blush finally got the best of her and she fainted, head aimed at the counter in front of her.

His hands moved quickly, pushing her bowl away from them and catching her head in his hand. He carefully lowered her head to the table. He dropped some money on the counted with a smile and thanks before picking Hinata up.

* * *

He took her to their training ground, setting her against a tree so that she wouldn't be dizzy when she woke back up. The other two weren't there, so he didn't have to explain himself. Yet. He took out some blank paper and his pencil and started to sketch.

* * *

Hinata woke just in time for him to finish his portrait. Her eyes had been finished before she had opened them, so she didn't disturb the picture. Her eyes alighted on him in front of her and a faint red color jumped to her face.

"N-Naruto-kun"

"Hinata-chan"

"Wh-where am I?" she looked around, just now noticing that they weren't in the same place as before.

"Training ground seven. You fainted."

"O-oh." She pushed two fingers together, looking down at her lap. "G-gomen."

"You didn't answer my question from before, Hina-chan." He mentioned, tilting his head to adjust something on his picture.

Her blush grew darker and he finished his portrait, carefully rolling it up and snapping some string around it. He held it out towards her and she reached for it. Her fingers were trembling, though, and he tilted it back just out of reach.

"This is yours if you can tell me what you were following me for…." He gave a small smile, trying to make her feel a little less frightened.

Hinata's eyes widened slightly and she stood up, not taking the time to brush the dirt off her pants yet. She started to run past him, but he caught her wrist gently. Her panicked gaze turned to meet his and he gave her a wider grin. When her wrist was dropped, she bolted. She didn't realize she held his finished paper in her hand.

* * *

"Naruto-kun…" She took in the picture of herself, but what really caught her eye was the signature in the bottom right corner. _To my dear Hinata-chan….Uzumaki Naruto~_

* * *

Naruto had a clone follow her to see her reaction. The girl's crush on him was cute, but once she knew that he contained the nine-tails he figured that she would be even more scared of him. He didn't want to get too close to her, but he wanted to play with her. Not to be mean, but to just… see what happened.


	3. Waves and Ripples

Naruto was still sitting in the same spot Hinata left him in when the other two Genin showed up. He was sketching another one of Hinata, eyes wide and blush bright. Her pose had been perfect, and he wanted to get it down.

The problem was that the pinkette wanted to be nosy. She somehow managed to snatch it from him, and she gazed at it a moment before laughing. He scowled and tapped his pencil on his knee, holding his other hand out to take the picture he drew. He honestly wanted to keep if; or maybe give it to the girl shown in the portrait.

"What's so funny?" Naruto muttered, sending a low glare at the girl.

"Hinata- Hinata's gonna flip when she finds out you took a photo of her!" Sakura blurted out, holding one hand in the air to keep the picture from him.

Naruto sighed and stood up, snatching the picture by jumping. He hated his height in times like these. Sakura wiped her eyes free from the tears that managed to leak out in her laughter.

"It's not a photograph. I drew it."

Sakura's laughter grew louder, making Sasuke glance over curiously. He didn't say anything, but the way he tilted his head gave his question away.

"It's true!" Naruto whined, playing his part perfectly.

"Prove it then." Sakura said, confident that he wouldn't be able to.

"Fine." He grumbled, plopping back down and taking out another sheet of paper from his sketch book.

Sakura didn't know where he managed to pull that from, but she sobered when she saw him start to work. She blinked and half-sat half-leaned against the small bridge rails. Sasuke crouched down in-between them, about ten yards apart from each ninja. Naruto glanced up a few times, eyes narrowed when he looked back down at his work. Sakura didn't know where to look, so she just gazed at Sasuke. She felt her eyes soften and a smile grace her features. Sasuke had a small scowl, not too different from Naruto's.

And then the blond let out a shout. He jumped up and turned it to face his team. Sakura's eyes widened and her jaw fell to the ground. The picture looked just like the last one, style the same. But instead of the shy girl he had captured earlier, Sakura and Sasuke were present. The water looked real, as did everything else. The shading made the plants and grass look alive, sun shining life into everything. Her eyes were only partly seen, as she was facing the Uchiha in the picture. Even Sasuke's scowl was perfect.

Sakura didn't get to see Sasuke's reaction because she recovered slower than he did, but Naruto saw it. There was real surprise in the normally emotionless eyes. Sasuke's mouth hadn't dropped open, but the widened eyes made him believe that the broody teen had shown more than Sakura had.

"Like it?" Naruto shouted, breaking the mood.

Sasuke snorted and looked away, crossing his arms and standing up to lean against the bridge rails. Sakura blinked a few times, mind not believing that he had done this perfect picture in such a short time.

"Want it?" Naruto's voice was suddenly softer, and the female Genin blushed at the proffered sketch.

"T-thank you" she stammered, accepting the item gently.

* * *

Kakashi showed up late again, and he gave a lame excuse for the third time since they met him.

"Sorry, an old lady needed help crossing the street, and I-"

"LIAR!"

Kakashi managed to look bored and sheepish at the same time. Naruto just rolled his eyes.

"Right. So, missions?" Kakashi tried to pull away from the painful topic of his tardiness.

Naruto yawned, bored with their mission without even knowing what it was yet. They had been doing the same boring D-rank missions for almost a month now. And while it gave him some relaxation, his ANBU missions were getting worse. The main office had found out that he had an immortal on his squad and had taken to assigning them the toughest missions.

They weren't that bad on him or Aki, but the other two, Rona and Mitsu, didn't have such luck. He'd had to abort his part of the mission to save them, and twice now he'd had to use his chakra cloak. It was easier since Kakashi wasn't there to guess what it was, but he still hated using it. Luckily, they kept coming back in one piece. But their luck could fail at any time…

"Why can't we do any higher missions?" Naruto whined, trying to make himself seem like the stupid ninja everyone thought he was.

"Naruto…" Kakashi warned, glancing up from his book.

"What?" Naruto tried to hold back a snap. "We've been on these same missions, and I think we're ready for a harder one!"

Sasuke took his cue. "I agree with the dobe."

Sakura nodded her head quickly after she saw Sasuke agree. She was nervous about getting a harder mission, but if Sasuke-kun wanted one, then she would do her best to help him.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, slipping his book away at the same time.

"That's alright…Actually, I have just the thing, Naruto" the Hokage chuckled, searching for the one he wanted.

Once he found it and called for the client, Tazuna walked in.

"Who're the brats?"

* * *

Naruto had to be held back by Sakura and Kakashi. After Kakashi had given them an hour to get ready, he dismissed them until they were to meet at the gate. He himself had to get a few things…

* * *

Naruto was the first one there. He always carried his things with him, and he liked to be early or on time. He didn't have anything else to do…

Naruto jolted up in his seat. He had forgotten something! He instinctively made a shadow clone and glanced around before sending it off.

Once the clone was in the shadows, it changed its hair color and slipped a rabbit mask on. The clone shed the orange clothes to show the black underneath. It grimaced at the thoughtlessness of its creator and hurried along to get to ANBU headquarters. Once it told the main desk that he was going to be gone for an extended amount of time, it ran off to find his squad. They should know what was going on; it was only fair.

* * *

The original Naruto blamed his mistake on his team. They were silly and idiotic, and he had been spending too much time with them. Sakura was too clingy around Sasuke and didn't have any notable skills to offer. Sasuke was a little better, but Naruto knew his mind was only on getting more power so he could avenge his clan.

* * *

Kakashi showed up on time for once. The team looked at him strangely, but once he took out his orange book they relaxed. Tazuna was still grumbling about their team, and Naruto didn't like being put down the most. He was probably the best one here.

Yin came along with them, perched on Naruto's shoulder. She was mostly resting, but he knew she was on alert just in case. Every so often she would knead his vest and he reached a hand around to pet her. He got frustrated when she almost did fall asleep and held her in his arms after that, petting her the entire time; she wouldn't stop reminding him to do so.

Also the entire time, he talked. He didn't even care what he talked about, but he would pick a topic and start ranting about it. He had to keep up his façade. He heard grumbles from more than one of them, but the one he hoped to hear even a sigh from didn't make a sound. Kakashi just kept his head buried in his book. Naruto felt the tenseness of the air when he paused in his speech to take a breath.

Everyone let their breath out all at once, save Kakashi. They were relieved that he was taking a break. They didn't realize that his chatter served more than one purpose; to keep them all relaxed and not ready to turn on each other due to going crazy. He sometimes did it for his ANBU squad on longer missions, keeping his team on alert but relaxed. It kept them sane, and he knew that at least they realized it.

Naruto figured that Kakashi might be getting an idea to who he was, but at the moment he couldn't care. It was an easy mission, long and like a vacation.

Wait!

Up ahead, his eyes narrowed at the puddle. It had to be a trap, since it hadn't rained and the air was dry. No clouds were around, and the rest of the path was bone dry. He stole a glance at Kakashi and gave him a nod. Kakashi flicked his one visible eye to Naruto and then the puddle, putting two and two together.

Kakashi and Naruto walked calmly past the out of place puddle, both keeping quiet about it. Kakashi had been surprised at how quickly the blond had picked up on the Genjutsu, and his mind started churning out possibilities. He started putting a few more things together, patching together a rough theory. But it wasn't time for those things, so he focused on the task at hand.

Two ninja rose up from the puddle, ready to snatch someone up. Their chain flew around Kakashi's body and they tugged hard, laughing out loud when he split into pieces, dead.

Sakura spun on her heal and screamed, just catching her sensei being ripped apart. Sasuke had seen it too, and he was drawing a kunai to fight them. Naruto hadn't turned around. Sasuke tossed his weapon right as the demon brothers tossed their chain again, aiming this time for the stationary blond.

The spiked chain managed to graze the blond ninja, making him disappear in a puff of smoke. The metal weapon that Sasuke threw hooked their chain to a tree and two more soon joined that. The two brothers released the chain and rushed forward, ready to attack with other weapons. Sasuke didn't have time to dodge as one of them slashed with their claws. He gripped his hand tightly, a burning sensation already coursing through his veins. _Poison! _

Kakashi caught one of them, jerking his head back and knocking him out. Naruto stood in front of the other one, kunai in hand. It blocked the man's poison-tipped claws, and blond hair fell into Naruto's face. The remaining brother smirked and pushed down harder, shoving Naruto back a few inches. The clone dispersed when the claw hit him, and the real Naruto stood behind the ninja. Naruto delivered a chop to the back of the Chunin's neck and watched calmly as he fell to the ground.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered, awed at his performance.

Sasuke was glaring at both Naruto and his sensei, slightly miffed that he didn't have much of a chance to prove his strength. Naruto had been fast… He fell to his knees, vision going fuzzy. The poison was spreading fast, and he knew that he could die if he didn't get help. _Damn. _

"H-help…"

Sakura tried to rush over, but Naruto was there already.

"Damn...poisoned claws" Naruto swore but shrugged his shoulders a few times. Kakashi had finished tying the unconscious ninja up, and he walked over to them, instantly picking up the problem.

"Sasuke? Can you hear me?" Kakashi knelt next to the two boys, mind racing.

Sasuke nodded weakly and Naruto started to make handseals, remembering one of the few medical Jutsus he knew. Next to him, Yin was curling up around Sasuke's leg. Her purr grew louder, and Naruto knew that she was trying to help too. He placed his hands on top of the ravens, green chakra glowing brightly. He focused on taking the poison out first. Once that was finished, he closed the wound so that Sasuke wouldn't bleed out.

"There. Fixed." He stated, calmly standing up.

He looked around, as if just realizing what he had done. Yes, he had saved Sasuke, but he had revealed more of his power…

"Uhm… _shit." _He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Looks like I'll have to question three people, not just two…" Kakashi said, eyes narrowing at Naruto.

Sasuke closed his eyes before passing out.

* * *

"Alright. So, before I talk to Naruto…Tazuna! You have some explaining to do. Truth, now. Or we're leaving you right here."

The man paled and quickly began to explain their situation. Naruto listened with half of his focus, mind thinking about other things. He wondered why he had done that. They could have easily gone back to Konoha to get the Uchiha healed, or Kakashi might have pulled something out of his ass. But no, he had to go and save the Uchiha. Naruto held in a sigh, wishing that Kakashi would drop it, or better yet, forget everything. That way he didn't have to tell them anything…. Plus, who knew how the Copy-nin would react to being the sensei of his sempai…

* * *

Kakashi had figured out who it was right after Naruto looked at him with a blank look. He wasn't surprised to find that a guilty look followed, but he didn't know if it was real or fake. The clues added up, though, and he cursed himself for not being able to figure it out before. It should have been obvious the day he met the Kyuubi brat—no, Naruto. He grimaced and shook his head to clear his confusion. It was going to be a long mission.

* * *

Tazuna didn't realize it right away, but eventually he realized that something was off about this team. He didn't know what, or why, but he had a feeling it was something important. He also knew that they were more likely to focus on their own problems other than his. This made him nervous, because if they weren't attentive enough, it could cost them his life.

* * *

Naruto finally paid attention, eyes drifting to Kakashi. He knew that questions would be asked and secrets revealed. But he wouldn't go down without a fight…

"So, I vote we continue this mission!" he said cheerfully, putting up his mask once more to try and stall for time.

Kakashi caught on right away, but he couldn't halt the small distraction without first creating a larger one, so he just sighed and let them decide.

"I think we can handle it" Sasuke said, nodding at Naruto.

Sakura was quick to agree with her precious Uchiha.

"…Fine. Now that that's out of the way, Naruto." Kakashi kept his gaze on the blond.

Naruto looked like a deer in headlights.

"Yes?" he asked, molding an innocent look onto his face.

"You kept secrets from us. From me."

Naruto could hear the note of betrayal in the older ninjas voice, and he wished he hadn't gotten so close to the man. He wouldn't have felt that twinge of guilt if he hadn't.

"Hai. I have."

Sasuke looked offended, and Sakura just looked surprised.

"What kind of secrets?" Sakura asked, curious.

"A few different ones. I'll start, but can we keep moving? I'd feel more comfortable if we're walking…"

Kakashi nodded and stood up from his crouch, motioning for the others to do the same. He was painfully aware that Gato would send someone stronger to take out Tazuna and their little team. But he had to talk to Naruto and figure some things out. They continued moving in their close unit, and Naruto began to speak once more.

"Let's see. I'll start with the second biggest one…" Naruto murmured.

"I'm the Kyuubi."

He paused and shook his head. "No wait, scratch that. The Kyuubi's container."

He ignored the shocked looks on the two Genin's faces. He figured that they would react like that. He did, however, react to Sakura's spike of fear. The air was tainted with it.

"So….you're the Kyuubi…?" Her voice was small and wavering.

"Naw, naw. If I was, wouldn't I have killed you already?" he drawled, also ignoring Tazuna's confusion.

"Naruto, it would have been better to explain what happened before you just told them like that."

"Shut up, Kakashi. You want to know other things, and I bet you just want me to explain everything I know _right now."_

Sasuke's eyes widened at how casually Naruto snapped at their sensei.

"You…you can't talk to sensei like that" he spoke up faintly.

"Whatever, Sasuke. Once you find out what else I've been hiding, you won't talk to me about respect."

Kakashi frowned but didn't want to piss Naruto off. Comrade or not, Naruto would be scary if his assumption of his former ANBU captain was correct. And he'd bet his life it was. He stayed quiet, trying to wait patiently.

Sasuke didn't look like he liked being talked down to. "Asshole."

Naruto's sword was instantly at Sasuke's throat, pressed into his skin. Only a thin trickle of blood slowly made its way down towards the ground, but Sasuke was frozen in his spot.

"Never talk to me like that again." Naruto's voice was so devoid of everything but ice and anger that Sasuke's mind and body stopped functioning.

Then Naruto was back where he was, sword hidden again. Sakura was shocked that he would attack a teammate, and they had all stopped moving altogether. Sasuke's hand pressed against his skin, touching already drying blood. Naruto had spared a second to heal him, just in case.

"Right. Well, for my next trick…" Naruto started, voice sounding the same as before; calm and neutral.

And then Naruto had clones everywhere, pushing them all down. Kakashi was already ducking, negating the need for the clone lunging to push him down. For a second they fumed at Naruto for attacking them, but then a large metal sword flew through the air, cutting into a thick tree above their heads.

"Hello. Hand over the old man."

* * *

Naruto didn't want to reveal himself to Zabuza just yet, so he let Kakashi take over.

"Momochi Zabuza. Demon of the Mist."

"Ah, I'm pleased that someone knows of me…. Ah! Sharingan Kakashi! This will be fun…"

The ninja standing on the sword jumped down, wrenching his weapon free as he did so. He held it against his shoulder casually, and he regarded them calmly.

"Give up the bridge builder."

"No. Leave."

"Right. Let me just – Idiots. You're funeral."

A thick mist rolled in and the three teens surrounded Tazuna, kunai out. Naruto didn't dare bring out his sword yet.

"…..Eight points to kill you. Where should I start?" a detached voice sounded all around them.

And then there were three Zabuza's around the team, in their formation and sword at the ready to slash. Naruto's sword came out, finally, and punctured one of them in the stomach with lightning speed. The second one met the same fate, and then Naruto faced the third one.

"Get away from here" Naruto growled, talking to his team and their charge.

They obeyed due to his tone, and the blond sent ten shadow clones with them to make sure they were safe. They all held swords, eyes darting around.

"Go to hell" Naruto narrowed his eyes, speaking while lunging forward.

The water clone parried, large sword quick even though it was taller than Naruto himself. Naruto shoved upwards, using two hands to force Zabuza's blade away. The clone dispersed when a Naruto clone got him through the stomach with his sword.

Naruto spun on his heel and faced in the direction of the water, where he sensed two strong chakra points. He let out a feral growl and bent down on all fours, running forward as he let the red cloak cover him. He used a strong wind Jutsu to blow away the mist, spotting his sensei right away. The silver-haired man was trapped in a water sphere, and Naruto wondered how Kakashi managed to get stuck.

Racing forward once more, he let one tail emerge from the red chakra surrounding his body, feeling ears sprout as well. The chakra cloak looked more like a glowing fox now. He slashed at Zabuza, speed getting him right in front of the scared man. The Demon of the Mist had felt the change in the boy, and fear surrounded him when he saw the shape in front of him, claws about to decapitate him.

He ducked, losing his catch as he did. But he was lucky to be left with three lines scratched in his face. His eyes widened as he realized who this was.

"_Ruby Maelstrom_…" he mouthed, a shiver going up his spine.

"**That's right**" came the rough reply.

Zabuza drew his large sword again and prepared to fight for his life. He had thought that this would be easy, but now it wasn't. It might be best to retreat… He backpedaled, hoping that the thin sword at his neck stopped before it hit him. Luck was with him; it drew back. Naruto stood up, taking his real sword from the clone. Naruto sneered.

"**Too scared to fight me?**"

"I know when I'm beat" Zabuza growled back, still walking towards the tree line. His back still faced the trees, as he knew that if he turned to run he would get cut down.

The older ninja made a handseal and made twenty water clones. Hopefully they would give him the second he needed to escape. He was strong, but this would be overkill. He really knew his limits, and this ninja was too high for him to fight. Triple-S Rank, flee on sight.

Naruto's roar filled the clearing and all his clones were wiped out. Zabuza didn't know if it was because of the speed or the roar, but he hightailed it out of there. He grabbed Haku and left, glad to find that the blond didn't follow.

* * *

Naruto turned to face Kakashi, snarling face calming as he saw a familiar one. The red chakra faded away and his eyes looked half closed. Naruto gave a weak smile and walked over to his friend.

"Sorry" he muttered. "Lost control for a second."

The silver-haired man had felt that kind of raw power before, but never had he seen his captain lose control or sprout a tail. He took it for granted that this kid was ANBU level or higher. If he wasn't, they all could have died.

"Let's go." He motioned, looking over to their huddled team, shaking from the chakra spike before. Tazuna was bent over, emptying the contents of his stomach.

Naruto curled his lip at the stench, kindly asking the Kyuubi to block that particular scent for him.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Sasuke asked, voice low.

"Kyuubi chakra!" Naruto voiced, tone cheerful once again.

"Would you quit it with your mask?" Kakashi asked the blond wearily.

"Would you rather hear me like this?" Naruto spoke like a robot, eyes blank and icy.

They all shivered and shook their heads.

"Cheerful Naruto, please" Sakura added.

"Fine!" He gave a grin.

"Can we get to my house?" Tazuna spoke up, still shaking.

Naruto nodded, instincts taking charge of the situation. Still shocked, Kakashi let him.

* * *

Naruto ended up telling them on the way to their client's house that he had met the fox inside him and learned what he knew from it. He trained in secret for years, though he never took a test to become anything higher than genin. He told them anything they wanted to know, only occasionally lying. He made sure to use the same tone of voice for each answer, though, so that even Kakashi couldn't tell which the truth was and which a lie was.

They got there in record time, party eventually quiet other than breathing. Naruto had carried his best friend there, chakra exhaustion hitting the eldest ninja hard. He had kept his Sharingan eye open too long and needed Naruto's help in getting there. The blond didn't mind, however, as he cared deeply for his subordinate still. He would protect his team, and squad, with his life.

Sasuke kept sneaking looks at Naruto, still trying to figure out how Naruto got so strong. The dobe trained in secret? It just didn't add up. Nobody could be stronger than Sasuke. He didn't want to ask now, because he could see something on the blond's face that wouldn't allow anything to go wrong right now. Naruto seemed murderous.

Sakura was the most confused, because her inner self told her that this new ninja wasn't the Naruto she knew, and she should go for him instead of Sasuke. Sasuke was hot, yes, but this Naruto kid had singlehandedly beaten a missing-nin. Even though her senses were telling her otherwise, she decided to try.

"Naruto-kun, I-"she started, her voice sweet.

"Shut up, Sakura."

Kakashi almost hit Naruto's head for that, but Naruto twisted his head around a little and glared, making Kakashi shrink down a little on his back. His pride was nowhere to be seen, but that was the least of his problems. Naruto had turned out to be his ANBU captain, who had saved his life hundreds of times, shared jokes with him, went on countless missions as a team, and became his friend. This ninja was undoubtedly his best friend, but he was also the scariest ninja when you were on his bad side. And Kakashi didn't want his friend hurting him or anyone else here. So he settled with a different approach.

"Sempai…" he warned.

Sakura broke out into a nervous laugh.

"Se-sempai?!"

Kakashi's face flushed red, and he was never more grateful for his mask right then. He knew Naruto would be able to tell anyways, since he always knew.

"Long story." He almost snapped at her at the same time Naruto did; "Shut it."

It was quiet the rest of the way there.

* * *

Once they got to the house and met Tazuna's daughter and grandson, Naruto politely excused their team to their rooms. He put Sakura in her own and Sasuke across the hall from his room. Kakashi was placed in his room, but really only to talk.

"Sempai, why are you acting like a Genin?"

"Why are you reduced to a quivering Genin?"

Kakashi scowled and looked away. His one eye was narrowed, and he wished his emotions and thoughts weren't getting the best of him right now. He was really shocked that Naruto was his friend, and even more shocked that Naruto spoke to him like he did the first day they met.

"I'm just… I thought we'd never see each other again" he muttered, knowing it was a lame excuse.

As he expected, Naruto rolled his eyes. At least the blond could show some of his emotions around the older ninja.

"Right. And I'm Hokage. Never mind. Look, it's my long-term mission to look after Uchiha-teme. That's all you need to know."

"Who assigned you that mission?"

"You don't need to know. I'm still stronger than you, and you know it. Don't make me hurt you, because I don't want to."

"I know…" Kakashi murmured, looking down at the covers. He had slid into the bed to get some rest at the start of their conversation.

"It was a past ANBU member" he grated out in a growl.

Kakashi looked back up to Naruto, eye lighter than before. His friend couldn't resist him looking sad; he forgot that his sempai hated his tears.

"Which one?" he still wasn't using his brain today.

"You know which one" Naruto choked out, gazing at the wall as if he wanted to burn it.

Kakashi's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh."

Naruto felt real tears trickle out of his eyes. Itachi had been serving under him, not taking the captain position because he wanted to stay on squad seven. Itachi had been Naruto's best friend, somehow managing it with no shown emotions. Itachi had betrayed all of them that night, though, when he killed his clan and left the village. A few days before that, Itachi had formally asked the blond to watch over his brother.

And Kakashi had sensed more than just a captain-teammate relationship between them, because the day after Itachi had left, their captain hadn't shown up. Or the next day, or the next. After that, he was silent and didn't speak unless telling them about the mission. That went on for a year. Kakashi had figured out that the two ninjas had a more intimate relationship, even though it was a short one. Kakashi also knew that Naruto had never been a big hero in the village, so he'd never had anyone before. It must have hit him hard.

The blond had probably only continued with his self-appointed mission in memory of his lover. Kakashi felt something in his heart, and he wondered if it was jealousy. It was.

"Naruto-sempai…" he murmured, not wanting to let go of his nickname for the boy.

Kakashi slid out from under the covers, moving only by sheer will. He sat down behind his friend and hugged him. Naruto stiffened into the touch, but then turned around and returned the hug. Kakashi knew that being a ninja was a tough life, but this boy had it worse than a lot of people. He had the nine-tails sealed in him; he had practically the entire world hating him, hurting him, and almost no friends. He had to kill every day, more than he did. And killing people or ninja hurt more than anything, because each time you do, your heart dies a little. Unless you were psychotic. Which Naruto was _not._

The jonin leaned back a little, making Naruto look up at him. The normally bright blue eyes were dull, and there were still a few specks of water in them. Kakashi felt his heart breaking for the child, and he leaned forward a little more.

Kakashi didn't know exactly what compelled him to do it, but it had to be something out to get him.

He kissed Naruto gently.


	4. Thoughts of a Psychopath

Naruto's mind was blank other than the simple thought of Kakashi's lips on his. He didn't pull away, but he didn't move forward to kiss the man back. He opened his eyes halfway when the older man drew back, one eye searching Naruto's blue ones. Kakashi instantly got lost in them, and he wondered what would happen if he kissed Naruto again.

Naruto sat in his lap, staring at Kakashi with an incredulous look. He wasn't offended, and he brought a hand up to touch his lips. Naruto had felt…something when the two connected. He felt Kakashi's arms wrapped loosely around his waist, hanging there slightly firmly. He barely noticed the larger ninja's bare face. He had seen it once before, but now it wasn't a life threatening time, and he could gaze at the man's perfect features as long as he liked.

Kakashi's face was clean save a small scar on his jaw, small but rugged looking. His lips curved into a small smile, clearly hesitant at the smaller boys gaze on his face. His one eye was calm and collected, although in his mind he was freaking out at what the blond might do. He didn't have to wait too long, luckily.

"K-Kakashi…."

"Yes, Sempai…?"

"Y-you…" Naruto's eyes were slightly wider now, and his voice was shaky.

Kakashi just rested his sight on his captain, resisting the urge to kiss him again or flee. Neither would be the mature thing to do right now, but…

"I knew you were… but…why me…?"

Kakashi gave a short nod, his lips twitching. He suddenly didn't want to hear whatever Naruto was going to say. He didn't think it would be good. Because this boy was probably confused enough about his emotions, and he didn't want to force himself upon his friend.

"B-but….I'm nothing" Naruto's small voice whispered.

Kakashi shook his head, smile never leaving for the sake of Naruto's sanity.

"You're everything." And before he could help himself, he had bent his head down again and gently pressed his lips against Naruto's.

Before either of them could do anymore, however, there was a knock on the door, followed by an impatient huff. Kakashi found his hands back in his lap, and Naruto was on the other side of the room. Kakashi felt disappointment, but he stood up and opened the door, pulling his mask up before anyone else could see his face. Naruto plastered a fake grin on his face, but it faltered a little when Sasuke and Sakura shoved their way into the already small room.

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, trying to collect his own thoughts. He really didn't need this right now, but he was a little relieved that they got interrupted. If they hadn't showed up, who knows what he would have done to his stunned captain.

"What do you need?" he finally asked, avoiding Naruto's eyes.

Sakura plopped down on the floor and Sasuke sat down with a little more grace.

"We're calling a team meeting." Sasuke said stiffly.

* * *

Naruto had been so shocked that his friend had done that, he hadn't reacted. He could have moved, avoiding the second peck on the lips, but his body had made him stay. He didn't know why. He didn't have anything against those kinds of people, but he hadn't thought he was closer to males than females. He actually believed that no one was meant for him and hadn't even thought to pursue anyone, regardless of gender. Even with Itachi it had just been a really close companionship, though he knew it could have been more.

He could kill with ease, sneak around so that no one knew where the hell he was, lie and get away with it, but he hadn't a clue what to do in the relationship column. He hadn't even been kissed before! This was his first one. And while it was a new experience for him, it hadn't felt bad. In fact, it felt…right.

"Naruto? Naruto…NARUTO!" Sakura raged, waving her hands in front of his face.

"Wh-what?" he jerked back to reality.

"You spaced out." She deadpanned, eyes narrowed.

Naruto narrowed his own eyes, not liking how she assumed she held authority here.

"Excuse me. Sorry that I was actually thinking about something important."

"What were you thinking about?" Sasuke butted in, not noticing that he defused Naruto's anger and redirected Sakura's fear.

"It's not relevant to you, if that's what you were hoping."

Sasuke looked startled that someone dare refuse him something he asked for, and Sakura looked desperately to their sensei to get this under control. But Kakashi just waved a hand at her, his mind not focusing on their childish fighting. He, too, was curious about what Naruto's thoughts were. They pertained to him, most certainly…

"What did you even want to talk about in this 'team meeting'?" Naruto gave a sigh, dropping his glare to adopt a weary face.

"O-oh, right. That. We- Sasuke-kun – thought that Zabuza would come back and try to fight again. We- both of us would like to train." Sakura tried to say bravely.

"Oh, so Haruno speaks of training! For the first time in her life, perhaps?"

Kakashi's eye landed in Naruto's face, but Naruto refused to meet his gaze.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sakura stuttered, realizing right away that the blond was taunting her for something.

"'Wh-what do you mean?'" Naruto mimicked, rolling his eyes as he did so. "This will be the first time that you actually show interest for training! Although" he narrowed his eyes and let them wander to Sasuke. "I wonder if it has anything to do with you."

Sasuke narrowed his own eyes, but Naruto didn't back down. He didn't speak again, though.

Kakashi sighed and ran his hand through his hair again. This was not going well. Even though Naruto had a point, he was mentioning it in the worst possible way. Sakura didn't even seem to be standing up for herself; she was merely poking her fingers together not unlike Hinata.

"Team seven is not going to last this mission, is it?" he murmured to himself.

Naruto picked up on it, his hearing more honed than the other two. He didn't respond to Kakashi, but he gave a small shrug to Sasuke, who was glaring at Naruto. As usual, the Uchiha didn't say a word.

"Look, I was assigned as the captain at the start of this mission." Kakashi finally began to show his authority again.

"And what I say goes."

The blond gave a small nod, not looking to see Kakashi's gaze. The jonin looked at each one of them, trying to lock in his order. Sasuke just glared at him, blinking once for his acknowledgement. Sakura blushed and nodded her head rapidly, wringing her hands together nervously. Naruto didn't raise his eyes from the floor, so he didn't see the soft gaze Kakashi sent him.

"Right. Now, as of tomorrow, I'll be training you just in case." He continued awkwardly.

"Fine." came the abnormally quiet response.

It was silent for a few moments, and then Naruto flicked his eyes up to the other teens.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

He was rewarded with two confused looks.

"Get out of my room!"

* * *

After the two scrambled away, Naruto flopped onto the single bed in the room, letting out a muffled groan.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi murmured automatically, turning to face his young captain.

Naruto shook his head back and forth, mumbling an answer. Kakashi threw his hands up in the air, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"If I don't know what's wrong, I can't fix it!" He shouted at the lump on the bed, finally releasing his pent up frustration.

Naruto's head rose from the bed and finally looked into Kakashi's eye.

"You can't fix my problems, Kakashi. No one can."

His tone was cold and it sent a shiver down the man's spine. He gazed at Naruto with an aching heart, wishing to Kami that Naruto was wrong.

"I wish I could" he whispered, dropping his hands to his sides and slouching forward in defeat.

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

* * *

Even as Kakashi said it, he knew it was true. He was surprised, and he knew his face showed that deadly emotion. Naruto's eyes went comically wide and he sat up on the bed, mouth slightly hanging open from shock.

"You-you…" Naruto couldn't finish his sentence, but Kakashi knew what he was trying to say.

"Yes."

The blond was suddenly gone, the window open and the slight breeze making the thin curtain flutter towards him, reaching like a ghost hand. Kakashi reached back for it, but he couldn't quite get there.

* * *

Naruto couldn't stay in one spot with his thoughts. He knew it would turn and bite him on the ass if he did. So he went to do the one thing he knew best.

Kill people.

* * *

He found Gato's place pretty easily. With his speed and agility, he got in without being detected. He even slipped on his ANBU mask beforehand, so if they had cameras he wouldn't be revealed. He didn't want to touch anyone, though, so he brought out his sword and began to make his way through the building, eventually getting to the top floor. It was pretty high up, and he scowled as he recognized why.

All leaders wanted to show their power, their might by being tall. Or living on the top floor of the highest building in Wave Country.

Naruto wiped his blade with a rag, cleaning it so that it shined. He didn't want the slick blood already on it to get in the way of his last kill. He snuck into Gato's room, lip curled in scorn for the heavily sleeping man. Even his guards outside the doors had been snoozing. He ended the man's life slowly, enjoying the peals of noise that rose from the man's throat.

* * *

In her room, Sakura was crying for herself. Naruto had been cruel, but he was also right. She didn't know how to fight. Or rather, she knew, but she didn't have the strength or power to back up her knowledge. She bit back sobs, trying to keep her sorrow from the household. They were guests, and she didn't want to act depressed and mopey in front of them.

* * *

Sasuke wasn't crying, because he hadn't been put down quite like Sakura had, but he was brooding. He was trying to think of a way to get the blond to train him. He wanted to know how the dobe had gotten so strong so quickly. He had the Kyuubi's help, yes, but was that it? He pondered this thought, also trying to push down his pride so that he might ask Naruto to help him tomorrow.

* * *

Sakura sniffed and wiped her tears away, finally finding herself tired. She got into bed slowly, only reacting quickly when she pulled back her covers. A thin white feline rested just between her pillow and sheets, purring up a storm and shedding white hairs all over the dark bedding. Sakura was about to scold the cat for nearly giving her a heart attack, but then she stopped. Yin raised her head, eyes opening slowly to gaze up at Sakura. The purring grew louder and Sakura found that she wouldn't mind some company tonight.

* * *

Naruto didn't want to think of Kakashi's kiss, but now it was for other reasons. The taller ninja reminded him of his past lover, Itachi. Naruto and Itachi had never kissed, but they had hugged and touched each other intimately. Itachi had been the one to hold Naruto when he cried, keeping him safe from the outside world. Itachi had been the one to always be there for him. But on the night that Itachi left, killing his clan in the process, Naruto had trusted him. Naruto had trusted him, and Itachi had just pushed him aside, not even sparing him a glance.

Naruto wanted to hate Itachi for leaving him, but he couldn't help but love him. The man had never even kissed him on the lips, but their relationship was much too complex for that. The night Itachi had left; he took a part of Naruto's heart. And he hadn't even stomped on it; oh no, the Uchiha prodigy hadn't even made it easier for Naruto that way. He had left without even doing anything. He just left his heart where it was, locked in the locket that Naruto gave him.

That night, Itachi hadn't even abused his body. Naruto had been willing to give up his first kiss, his virginity even, but the other man hadn't _done anything. _Just went on and never looked back. So here Naruto was, alone and with his thoughts again. He couldn't hate Itachi, but he couldn't ever get over his betrayal. But maybe, just maybe, with Kakashi, he might be able to get over it. Just a little.

Didn't he deserve some happiness too?

Naruto sat in the corner of Gato's room, eyes staring blankly ahead. His mask was thrown aside, blood spattered everywhere. Naruto didn't notice any of it.

* * *

When Naruto wasn't back by morning, Kakashi began to worry. He hadn't wanted to scare the blond away…just…make him better?

"Shit." He murmured, glancing around the room.

Naruto had left no tell-tail signs of where he was. No note, no footprints in the grass, no nothing. Kakashi was worried for his friend, because even though he knew Naruto could take care of himself (and many others) he also knew that when Naruto got emotional, he was unstable as well. And for Naruto, that was a _bad _thing. He was easily top ANBU, even top _ninja _in the world. And if the Kyuubi could seize control while Naruto was trying to cope, well…

Kakashi winced and ran on, Sharingan eye swirling rapidly.

* * *

Naruto was back by the time Sasuke and Sakura woke up. He actually walked in while they were eating breakfast. They looked surprised to see him carrying Kakashi over his shoulder. Kakashi had run so fast and long that he had fallen asleep, right where Naruto found him on his way back. Naruto hated the touch, but he had to make sure his friend was okay. After all, no matter what happened, Kakashi was still his best friend.

He didn't tell anyone where he went, just left Kakashi in their room and came down to breakfast. Naruto ate quickly, thanking them for the meal and easily eating seconds, thirds, and fourths. He would have eaten more, but he didn't want to impose on such nice hosts. He apologized that he ate so much and proclaimed it was the best meal he had eaten in the last six months.

Then he excused himself to his room. Sakura and Sasuke glanced at each other, but they didn't pry. They didn't want to get on his bad side, and since it came out so easily, they didn't want to risk it. Yet.

Naruto sat on the floor, watching Kakashi's chest rise and fall in a regular pattern. He had left the black mask up, but his tilted headband was missing. Silver-gray hair fell loosely into Kakashi's face and made him look like a god.

Naruto didn't move when he noticed Kakashi waking up. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't want to disturb either the man in front of him or his racing mind.

Kakashi felt the stare as he was waking up, and he knew who it was. He didn't change anything, just regulating his breathing the same and trying not to let the blond know. He knew. Kakashi didn't try to move, though. He wanted to see what Naruto would do. Or, well, feel it. He hoped he could tell where Naruto was in the room if he moved.

And then Kakashi felt his mask being pulled down, but he didn't make any moves to stop it. His eyes stayed closed, and he didn't flinch. His body was dead tired, but when soft lips touched his, he felt like he could fly. Bottomless energy flowed into him, body heat and soul being shared through that one little kiss. His breathing started to change, his chest frozen in place because of the face on his. His fingers reached up and curled around Naruto's wrists, capturing them and pulling gently onto his body.

Naruto was dragged on top of Kakashi, only clothes and a thin sheet between them. Their kiss broke apart for a moment, and Kakashi opened one eye cautiously. Naruto's breathing was ragged, eyes half-lidded and troubled. The blond didn't object when his friend leaned up slightly to capture his lips once more.

Naruto felt his body pressed against the older nin's, friction heating up his body. He felt blood rush to his face in a thick blush. Kakashi let out a moan into Naruto's mouth, letting his head drop onto the mattress immediately after he did. Naruto's eyes were wide now, and Kakashi wished that he kept that in. Now Naruto would be scared again. But before he could let loose a string of curses, Naruto threaded his hand through the soft silver locks.

* * *

Eventually the two Genin excused themselves from the conversation at the kitchen table, using the excuse of training to leave. Tazuna told them that he wasn't going to be working on the bridge today, so they could do whatever without much hassle. Inari wasn't to be found.

Sasuke led the pinkette upstairs, heading for their sensei's room. Sasuke desperately wanted power so he could kill his older brother, and the blond had it. He had to get it, now. Sakura followed cheerfully, happy that her precious Uchiha had spoken to her.

The raven was reaching for the doorknob when he heard a noise come from their room. His eyes widened and then narrowed. He pushed open the door, ready to catch who knows what going on.

* * *

Naruto was seated at the end of the bed, with Kakashi still under the blankets. Naruto was holding his sword in his mouth, not bothering to watch for the sharpness of the blade. He held a roll of bandages in his hand and a roll of tape in the other. He was trying to pull out a length of both, using the sword's edge to cut them. He was letting out small noises, much like the one Sasuke thought he had heard before. Kakashi was sitting up, watching Naruto with amusement.

"…Training?" Sasuke blurted, entirely confused by the situation.


	5. The Art of Seduction

Kakashi sat on the edge of the bed, pulling his sandals on quickly. He had just sent Sasuke and Sakura outside to wait for him. He wanted to be alone with Naruto for a moment, but neither of them caught on to it. For that he was grateful, and he made a silent promise to actually help these children with their goals to the best of his ability.

"Naruto…"

"Yes?" came the curt reply.

"I… I'm sorry if this is too sudden for you. Please tell me if it goes too-"

"Save your breath, Kakashi." Naruto's voice was as cold as steel, but when he turned his head to face Kakashi his eyes were soft and full of compassion.

"I'm willing to try this" he added, a little more gently.

Kakashi blinked and felt a grin spread across his face.

"Thank you" he breathed, stepping a little closer to his sempai.

Naruto didn't move at all, save the small movement it took to stand up. He was several heads shorter, but he didn't look intimidated in the least. But before Kakashi could give the blond a short kiss, Naruto's hand stopped him. Kakashi almost kissed the hand in front of his face, but he didn't do anything else; he only waited to see what Naruto wanted.

"I know this isn't the best timing, but…" Naruto started, trailing off quietly.

"What? What is it, Naru?"

"I killed some people last night." Kakashi winced at how bluntly his sempai spoke.

"…Alright. Innocent or no?"

"Gato and his men."

The jonin's eyes widened and he had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't just dreaming.

"Really?" He sounded hopeful.

"Yeah. So…don't worry about him. I can see what I can do about Zabuza, but…"

Kakashi shook his head. "Zabuza will learn of Gato's death on his own. He'll leave Tazuna alone."

"Sure." Naruto shrugged and gazed away, trying not to look pleased with himself. He hadn't really meant to do it, either. He just…did.

* * *

"Alright. I'm teaching you something very important. Listen up."

Sasuke and Sakura listened intently, keen on learning whatever he would teach them.

"You will be learning how to climb a tree."

Sasuke gazed at his sensei with incredulous eyes.

"What."

"Be quiet and pay attention. For this you won't be using your hands. Only your feet."

The silver haired man was quick to show them what he meant, walking up a tree parallel to the ground. He felt both pairs of eyes staring, and he ended by hanging upside-down on a branch with his hands at his sides.

"Get to it!" he instructed, letting himself flip into a crouch as he landed back on the ground.

* * *

Naruto watched the man in the bed with amusement. Zabuza was sitting up, using one hand to hold his stomach and the other a kunai. He was hurt but trying to defend himself. The boy at his side had handfuls of senbon between his fingers, posed to throw them.

"I mean no harm" he spoke pleasantly.

"Coming from the Ruby Maelstrom, I doubt you mean well."

"Oh, but I do!"

"Then sit down with your hands on your lap."

"Only if you instruct Haku to do the same."

"How do you know my name?" the boy spoke softly, wondering at the same time how he didn't notice the blond sneak in.

"I know many things. Please calm down; you'll upset my tenant soon."

Zabuza hastily ordered his tool to relax, because he had heard the rumors about this one. They all seemed true so far. But if this small boy came without ill will, what could he possibly want?

"I see you're wondering why I'm here." Naruto had sat down in a chair, placing his hands in easy view.

"Yes."

"I want you on my side."

"As a Konoha ninja?" Zabuza looked surprised.

"Not exactly. I want to be able to call on you when I need something."

"Why should we help you?" the demon of the mist was wary.

"I can make your lives perfect."

"How?"

"Do you ever find yourselves in need of food, money, or shelter?"

"…Sometimes." He slowly admitted.

"I can provide whatever you need."

"At any given time?"

"Yes."

"And if we need help in a faraway battle?"

"I have something for that, don't you worry."

"And why should we trust you?"

"Because if you don't, I'll kill you."

* * *

Kakashi gazed at Sakura with a proud feeling in his chest. She had taken a total of two minutes to get to the branch she was sitting on. She was smiling happily, looking for the entire world proud of herself. A small blush adorned her face, but she was swinging her legs back and forth to show her contentment.

"Very good! I'll teach you the next part!" he shouted up to her.

He saw Sasuke scowl out of the corner of his eye and he thought of a ploy to help his other student out a little more. Sakura eventually came down and he introduced her to water walking, telling her to keep close to the shore. She kept a kunai in her hand but took her weapon holders off so they wouldn't get wet. She knew that she was vulnerable without weapons and was happy when she got a nod of approval from her sensei.

"Alright Sasuke" he started when he came back to his second male student.

"What do you want." Sasuke didn't even form it as a question.

"I just wanted to tell you that Naruto will be here later."

"How does this even involve me?" he sniffed, narrowing his eyes at the thought of the dobe showing him up later.

"Well, he mentioned to me that if you two learned at least the first exercise, he would show you guys something that he knows…"

Sasuke was halfway up the tree, marking a line before jumping away as the tree cracked a little before Kakashi was done speaking.

* * *

Naruto handed each of the two ninjas in front of him three kunai.

"What are these for?" Haku asked curiously, tilting them around in his palms.

"For when you need me. All you have to do is toss them. It doesn't even have to be far, but enough that it's a toss. You can use them as normal weapons too, I guess."

"Why do we do that?"

"I'll show up."

"How?" Zabuza sounded confused.

"My dad was the Yellow Flash."

* * *

Kakashi was pleased when Sasuke figured out how to control his chakra a little better. He had been motivated instantly by Kakashi's remark of how Naruto would teach him something, and after a few more hours of hard work, Sasuke had made it to the top. His control could always get better, but he had done it.

"Alright, Sasuke. I'll teach you water walking as well, and maybe later you can go back to trees to see if you retained your knowledge."

Sasuke glared for a moment but didn't say anything back. He just followed the other man to the small lake where Sakura would be training.

* * *

"_You know the Hiraishin?"_ Zabuza's voice was hushed, and Naruto grinned.

"Yeah."

Haku looked a little confused for a moment, but then he tossed the kunai at the farthest wall and was amazed to see that Naruto was there too.

"Like it?" his amused tone told them that he had done it to humor them, but he seemed proud of himself.

"That's…incredible speed" Haku murmured.

"Thanks!" A cheery smile appeared on Naruto's face and his hand twitched.

"I want to test myself against you." Haku stated.

Zabuza looked pale.

* * *

Sakura was sitting in the grass next to the lake, supporting herself with her hands behind her back on the ground. She was gazing leisurely at the sky, and Kakashi looked to where she was looking as well. A mother bird had just shooed her children out of the nest and they were awkwardly flying around. The longer they flew, the better they got. Now they were flitting around and cheeping, playing a game of chase or follow the leader or something.

"Sakura, are you done?" Kakashi finally broke the silence, tearing his gaze away from the playing animals to look at her.

Said girl gave a start but shrugged.

"I'm not sure….. I can make it halfway out, but then I fell in. I knew I was doing it right, but I just…fell…" she trailed off, trying to convey her confusion.

"I know why. You probably ran out of chakra." Kakashi shrugged. "I know a lot of ninjas who don't have that much chakra."

Sakura looked down at her lap. "But… I had only been going at it for twenty minutes…"

"Yes, but you need a near constant output of chakra. Even if you don't have that much to begin with, you can always build up to more."

"How?" She looked up at him, her eyes pleading.

* * *

"You wouldn't last long" Naruto waved a hand at the challenging ninja.

Zabuza let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"Then why do you want us on your side, if we aren't anything to you?"

"I need you more for your bloodline. As for Zabuza, he's also pretty feared. Why not?"

"I see." Zabuza spoke up, eyes narrowed. "You just want Haku for his bloodline."

"Don't you?" Naruto gazed steadily back, cutting deep into Zabuza's pride.

"Er, well…"

"Look. I'm offering you my friendship. If you don't want it, I can wipe your memory or kill you. If you accept, then you have my help whenever you want. It's pretty simple."

"Can we finally have a home?" Haku was whispering to his master, but Naruto nodded anyways.

Zabuza looked doubtful. "I dunno… I like not following rules…"

"You can have a place to stay in Konoha and be ANBU. No one needs to keep you under too strict rules if I get you on my ANBU team. You don't have to be a civilian to become a Konoha shinobi." Naruto offered. "If you want you can go where you need and I can pretend you are still working in Konoha."

Zabuza let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine."

Haku let out a quiet cheer.

* * *

Naruto showed up two hours after Sasuke had been introduced to water walking. He was covered in blood and his clothes were slightly disarrayed. Over his shoulder he carried a large metal item, which he dropped onto the ground when he stopped at the edge of the forest. Kakashi could usually keep his cool, but he rushed over right away, eye wide with concern.

"Naruto!?"

"Yo."

He flopped to the ground and took a rag out from nowhere. He started to clean the blood off of his new weapon, giving it admiring glances as he wiped it down. He began whistling, a small smile present on his face.

"What the hell happened?" Kakashi demanded, crouching to give Naruto a once over for wounds. He found none.

"I killed Zabuza and his… partner."

"Why are you covered in blood? You reek"

"I wanted to play with them. And some ninja get better when they are fighting to keep their lives. The Demon of the Mist put up a good fight."

Kakashi had shoved his headband up and his Sharingan was spinning, watching Naruto's chakra paths. The blond was calm, and he had no obvious spikes in chakra that meant he was lying. Kakashi leaned closer and sniffed the blood on Naruto's clothes, and he reeled back when he caught the significant smell of Zabuza. He had gotten a whiff of the missing-nins blood the last time he had battled the man, and this was definitely his blood.

"Did you get hurt at all?" He finally asked, concern still laced in his speech.

"Once. Those ice mirrors were pretty interesting at first. I let the kid think he had a chance to kill me before I really got serious." Naruto hadn't stopped cleaning his new sword during this entire exchange.

Over closer to the lake, Sasuke and Sakura were standing on the shore, gaping at the blond. They heard Kakashi's questions and Naruto's loud and blunt answers. Sasuke was awed that the dobe could kill two people in cold blood without even breaking a sweat. He also wondered if the stupid blond had killed them with the same smile he currently wore.

"N-Naruto?" Sakura began, her voice shaking.

"Sup?"

"Why are you so cheery? I thought… I thought that you used that as a mask…" her voice was quiet, but Naruto still heard her.

"Oh, would you rather me act like this around you?" he switched to his real personality, voice cold and hard. His tone was indifferent to everything and it made the temperature around them drop a few degrees.

Sakura shivered and could only gaze at him helplessly, too shocked at how emotionally detached he was to move. Sasuke was surprised at himself when he found he couldn't form words.

"I didn't think so" Naruto spoke again, this time back to his overly cheerful speech.

* * *

Sasuke kept staring at the blond, but Naruto didn't ask what was wrong. He figured someone would tell him in a moment.

He was right.

"I er… I told him you would teach him something if he got the first exercise done…" Kakashi whispered to his smartest student.

"What?" Naruto's gaze didn't falter from where he was glaring back to the Uchiha, but his words were sharp.

"It worked to motivate him…"

"…Fine."

* * *

"What are you going to teach me?" Sasuke demanded, voice slightly louder than usual. He actually looked a little excited.

"I'm teaching both of you. I bet you'd love something different, so I'd teach you two different things indirectly, but…" Naruto grinned.

"I know just the thing."

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura looked blankly at the paper Naruto was holding out to them.

"Well? Take it!" he suggested, once again pushing it closer to them.

"…How will this help?" Sasuke finally asked, accepting the paper cautiously.

"You'll see." Naruto gave them a cheeky grin, and Sakura found herself flipping the paper over and over, trying to figure the problem out.

"…Right."

"Yep! Now, focus a small, but not too small, amount of chakra into it. Now that you know how to control your chakra a little better, it shouldn't be too hard."

Naruto watched as Sasuke gazed at the paper, trying to make something happen. Sakura was watching her crush, also wanting to see what would happen. After a few minutes of silence, Naruto sighed.

"…Mkay. I didn't expect that. Sakura, your turn."

"M-me?" she stammered, put on the spot.

"No, Kakashi's turn of course you!" Naruto threw his hands into the air, exasperated with them.

Sakura managed to hold her laugh in and started to channel chakra into the white paper. As before, nothing happened. She felt a little disappointed and started to add more, coating the entire sheet with her thin blue chakra. She watched the paper intently, willing it to do something. And then something appeared in the top corner where she had applied the most chakra. The color traveled down the paper slowly, creeping like a slow paint splatter.

"…What does it mean?" She asked, focused on both her paper and Naruto's answer.

"It means you have something Sasuke doesn't have."

Sasuke scowled and crossed his arms.

"Huh?"

Suddenly it was too heavy and she dropped the paper, unable to support its weight. The entire piece of paper was covered in a thick coat of silver colored metal. She crouched down and poked it with a finger, curious still to what it meant.

"This paper tells you what infinity you have!" Naruto stared cheerfully.

* * *

"So…what one do I have?" Sakura looked up at him, still unsure of what was going on. She had heard of elemental infinities briefly in the academy, but the teacher assured them that they didn't need to know about them.

"Surprisingly, you have a rare one. Who woulda thunk?" Naruto kept avoiding her question, smile still on his face.

"Which one do I have?" Sakura pressed, anxious to hear what he was saying.

"Steel, I believe. I've only seen one other person have it…" Naruto mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Steel?" she stood up, disgusted.

"You should be honored" he snapped, glaring at her. "You can do so much with it."

She recoiled, holding her hands over her chest in an x.

"S-sorry…. It's just…metal?"

"Yeah. That's really handy to have, since you can make a weapon anytime you need one. And because it's part earth, you can use earth based Jutsus just as easily. You might want to get used to using many different weapons…I'd suggest going to find Tenten when we get back to Konoha…"

Sakura tilted her head, confused.

"She's a weapons master. Genin for a few years now, works with Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee. Gai, Kakashi's rival, is their sensei."

"…How do you know about them?"

"..."

"So….."

"Yes?"

"What infinity do you have?" Sasuke cut in, holding out his unmarked paper out to the blond as a challenge.

Naruto grinned and took it gently, not funneling chakra into it just yet.

"You really wanna know?"

Two fifteen-year-olds nodded.

"All of them."

With that, he shoved his chakra into the paper, making it disappear only seconds later. He gave them a small wave and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

Even though they pestered Kakashi the rest of the night, no one knew where Naruto went. Kakashi looked worried for a moment, but he switched back to his calm personality and shooed his other students to bed. They grudgingly did as he asked, and he slipped into his shared room. He wasn't surprised to see the blond sitting there on the bed.

"Have the kids all tucked in bed?" Naruto asked innocently.

"Naru-chan, where were you?"

"Chan?"

Kakashi blushed and thanked the heavens his face was covered. He knew that Naruto could smell his emotions, though…

"Kaka-shi…" Naruto whispered slowly, breathing on the older man's face.

Said ninja blinked twice rapidly; he hadn't seen Naruto move.

"I want them to forget…" Naruto murmured seductively, reaching up to tug Kakashi's head down to his.

"How" Kakashi murmured back, pulling his mask down to steal a kiss.

"Mmm memory seal" Naruto panted, pulling away when he ran out of air.

"Absolutely not." Kakashi commanded firmly, pulling his head back so that he could look the blond in the eyes.

Naruto pouted. "Why not?"

"Because…because…" All the reasons he had come up with were gone.

Naruto smiled and pulled his boyfriend down to his level, leading them carefully over to the bed.

"Mmmm, Kakashi…"

* * *

Just five minutes later, Naruto was slipping out of the room he shared with his sensei. He had a grin on his face, lips swollen from their make-out session. He stopped in front of Sakura's room and made a shadow clone. He sent that one in quietly and slipped into Sasuke's room.

* * *

Naruto's clone was dead silent as it took a scroll out of nowhere. It snuck closer to the sleeping female's bed, using all of his skill not to snicker at her predicament. She was snoring, quiet loudly in fact, and drool was dribbling out of her mouth. He unrolled the paper it was holding and pressed it to her head, using the other hand to shove chakra into her brain to keep her asleep. Then it applied a small amount of chakra to the scroll, which glowed red and blue for a moment. It disappeared and the clone left in a puff of smoke.

* * *

In the other room, the real Naruto was doing the same thing to Sasuke. He used a little more chakra than the clone did; watching carefully to make sure that everything went smoothly. He had worked quickly on these two scrolls, making it so that they dripped the seal into the brain, making the paper vanish. The seal then would work its way towards where the information being sealed was held. If all went well, both Sakura and Sasuke wouldn't remember him being the Ruby Maelstrom at all.

And nothing ever went wrong when it came to his seals.

* * *

Before the blond left the Uchiha's room, he placed a single sheet of paper on the bedside.

"_Sleep tight, Sasuke-kun."_ His voice echoed around the room, mocking a sleeping ninja.

* * *

Morning came too quickly. Naruto felt like he hadn't gotten any sleep. He sighed and got up, knowing that if he didn't do so soon Sakura would whine and bitch about him being lazy. He was going back to being the first class idiot, of course.

"NARUTO! YOU LAZY IDIOT!"

Right on time.


	6. Love, Hate, Embarrasment, and Betrayal

The rest of Team Seven was already up and eating breakfast and he joined them with a cheery smile. Kakashi gave him a worried look, but Sasuke and Sakura just ignored him. He was back to being that loud-mouthed idiot to them. He realized that he forgot to seal the rest of the family, but he could get to that later. As long as they didn't say anything to mess up his cover. And Naruto knew that Kakashi wouldn't tell the pair of Genin anything if he told him not to.

"So, what are we learning today?" Naruto exclaimed, bouncing in his seat some to keep up his charade.

"Uh, I was thinking about letting you three work on your chakra control some more." Kakashi answered slowly.

"Alright!" Naruto finally burst from his chair, waving at them before exiting the house.

To the others, it made it look like he wanted to get a head start. Sakura smiled softly and then turned to ask her crush if they were going to get going to. But Sasuke was already moving towards the door, not wanting the dobe to get better than him because he slacked off. Sakura sighed and followed after the two boys.

* * *

Out in the clearing from the day before, Naruto was rushing up the trees, making it look like he was still poor at it. Sasuke was showing off and making it much higher than the blond, but Naruto didn't really mind. He whined about it like a good idiot, and then pushed Sasuke harder by improving slightly each time he tried. Sakura waited with them, wanting to get back to the lake to practice that type of surface walking. She didn't want to go alone, though, so she observed her teammates.

"So, Sasuke, get enough beauty sleep?" Naruto questioned, a huge grin plastered on his face.

The raven's gaze shot to Naruto quickly, as though he suspected him of knowing something, but he didn't answer. Naruto rolled his eyes and stopped on the ground to take a break. Sasuke paused as well, eyeing the blond suspiciously.

"What are you staring at me for, teme?" Naruto asked, pretending to be annoyed.

"Hn." Sasuke finally looked away, and Sakura got up eagerly.

"Can we go to the lake now?" she begged, wanting to train just as much as the boys.

"Yeah." Sasuke stood up, stretching and starting to walk in the lakes general direction.

Naruto bounced up, beaming.

"I'll be there soon, guys. I want to get a little better with trees first. I'm pretty bad at it."

* * *

Naruto did not, in fact, meet back up with them. He set a clone to pretend he was still working and then spent the rest of his day cuddling with Kakashi. He wasn't worried about Tazuna, who had to go work on the bridge, because he had hundreds of clones watching, even some working, to make sure that their job was being done. The two lovers just spent time with each other, reminiscing about some of their days in Anbu. Naruto gave updates on his current squad, only leaving out his plans for Zabuza and Haku.

Eventually, the relaxing day had to end, and Naruto started to get ready for midnight.

* * *

Sakura fell asleep with Yin by her side, wondering where the cat came from. She didn't think the white cat was dangerous, though, from the way she curled up and purred.

* * *

Sasuke didn't sleep. He was too interested in what would happen at midnight. The letter that had been on his bedside table was to him from a _Ruby Maelstrom. _He didn't know what that was, but after stealing a Bingo book from Kakashi before breakfast, he looked him up. That ninja was one of the best ones in the world, legendary because of his ease in killing. The man had completed _thousands _of missions, more than anyone in the world. And he contained the nine-tailed demon's chakra… Sasuke didn't have time to do anymore research during the day, but he was confused at that part. The Kyuubi was supposed to be killed, about fifteen years ago. So why was this man said to hold the furry beast?

He was pulled from his musings when a dark shape landed on the end of his bed without a sound. His face was covered with a white mask, and he was dressed entirely in black. A sword scabbard hung from the ninja's belt, and Sasuke wondered just how skilled he was with it. He slipped out of bed, fully dressed, and picked up the note from this man. The ninja snatched the paper from him and it disappeared only seconds later. Then he stood up fully, and Sasuke felt his mouth drop open.

_Ruby Maelstrom was no taller than he was._

* * *

Naruto wished he could have taken a picture of the raven when he revealed himself to be just shorter than the Genin. Naruto had grown with puberty, but he still wasn't very tall. He was just under Sasuke's height. The way the Uchiha actually showed emotion…. It was funny. He finally motioned to follow him, and, opening the window, jumped out.

* * *

Sasuke followed the odd ninja cautiously, making sure that he was always in his line of sight. It didn't take long to make it to a large clearing not unlike the one he had trained in earlier. He watched as 'Ruby' stopped and turned around, keeping his hands firmly at his sides. He was still suspicious, but he didn't make any move to attack the ninja.

* * *

Naruto waited to see what Sasuke would do. He could wait forever, but he wanted to see if Sasuke could. It only took the boy five minutes before he started fidgeting, and another five to get bored enough to ask.

"So…are you going to teach me or not?"

Naruto was instantly behind him, holding his sword to Sasuke's neck. The blade hovered there, taunting the Uchiha to saw more.

"Show some respect" he spoke slowly, using a Genjutsu seal to mask his voice.

"O-okay" Sasuke stammered, his heart rate shooting up.

"Good." Naruto withdrew his sword and watched Sasuke flee to the opposite corner of the small field.

"Now, I'm a very busy ninja" he went on, "but if you are worth enough, I will teach you my ways of a ninja."

"Why shouldn't you teach me? I'm an Uchiha" Sasuke boasted, puffing his chest out proudly.

"And?"

"And what?"

"That's nothing worth teaching you for. If you don't have anything else in the next ten seconds, you're a waste of my time." Naruto drawled, making himself sound bored.

Sasuke was so startled that his "Uchiha" card didn't work that he couldn't speak.

"I didn't think so. I'll be taking my leave then."

"Wait!" Sasuke started running after the boy, kunai in hand.

Naruto waited until Sasuke was right behind him, then ducked and swung his leg out, tripping the other. He straightened and backed up a little, not wanting to be tripped as well. Sasuke struggled to get up, and he glared at the man.

"At least show me your face! Your name! Anything!"

"You don't have the honor." Naruto waved a hand in dismissal.

Sasuke charged again, this time attempting to fake to the left. Naruto sighed and slashed his sword against the base of Sasuke's kunai. He wrenched it out of his hand easily, the light grip not putting up any fight. Sasuke blinked, looking down at his hand.

"Again, you don't have the honor." With that, Naruto hit the other boy over the head with the hilt of his sword, plunging Sasuke into darkness.

* * *

Sasuke woke up in a cold sweat. He had dreamed he had met with an important ninja, talked back to him, and then lost in a very short fight. His pride was shattered, but he let out a sigh of relief. It was just a dream. He slid out of bed and then noticed a sheaf of paper next to his bed. A rock was holding them down, as the window was wide open. His heart nearly stopped when he saw the name at the bottom.

_Ruby Maelstrom_

* * *

Naruto went through his day the same as the last. Sasuke and Sakura went back to the lake to finish practicing, and Naruto pretended to tree-walk. He made sure that his clones were not just watching over their client but working hard on the bridge as well. May as well get it done as quickly as possible. He couldn't wait till midnight again. He really just wanted to have Sasuke show even a little respect or pride for oneself not related to clans. Then he would take Sasuke on as an apprentice. He did wonder how the kid would react to his methods, though…

* * *

Night came quickly. Sasuke decided that he wanted that second chance the new letter promised him, since he still needed power to kill Itachi. And the only one that seemed powerful enough was this… person that had become famous. Or infamous, depending on the situation. But he didn't care about any of that. He just wanted power, and fast. And this ninja could give it to him.

He spent the rest of the night pretending to sleep, going in and out of resting until midnight. Then he got out of bed and strapped his weapon pouches to his body, ready this time for the ninja to sneak into his room. Five minutes passed, and then ten, and then it was twelve-thirty. The ninja hadn't shown up.

Sasuke huffed and finally opened his door, sneaking out normally instead of using the window. He found his way to the clearing again and glanced around for that ninja.

"Hello, Sasuke."

* * *

Naruto watched with satisfaction as Sasuke jumped. He nodded a greeting and then leapt down from the tree branch he was on.

"Didn't think you were going to show up." Again, the look on the boy's face when he realized it was a test was priceless.

"I-you-why?"

"Alrighty then. Let's see how good a fighter you are."

Naruto was at Sasuke's side, single kunai in his left hand. Sasuke, startled, backpedaled a few feet. He drew a kunai as well, and then tried his best to block. Naruto kept up his attacks, leaving Sasuke with no time to think of a plan. It was all he could do to keep defending himself.

"Stop! Stop! Wait!" Sasuke panted, trying to breathe.

"Why should I?" Naruto finally threw his mask to the side, showing the Genin his Genjutsu'd face.

Sasuke gazed at him in awe only for a moment. He was tripped quite easily, and he face-planted the ground. Naruto withdrew his sword and pushed the tip against Sasuke's neck, grinning evilly.

"R-Ruby" Sasuke sputtered, trying to wiggle away.

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"Y-you win…you can let me up now."

"Why would I want to do that?" Naruto let out a short laugh.

"Because you're going to train me? Or let me go home and not ever see me again?" Sasuke was getting scared now, as the sword was digging into his neck, drawing blood.

"Oh, Sasuke. Sometimes you really are stupid. I was never going to train you. I'm going to kill you."

* * *

Sasuke felt like he couldn't breathe. The cold metal digging into his neck was going deeper, and he knew that if he didn't do something it would kill him. In a quick burst of adrenaline, he used a hand to wrench the sword from his neck. Naruto stumbled back, and he leapt up, grabbing supplies from his store of weapons as he went. He threw a handful of kunai back to the more experienced ninja, activating several exploding tags as he ran. He heard the rush of air before the boom, and he hit the ground hard.

* * *

Naruto laughed and dodged all the flying metal, easily avoiding the explosions. This was child's play. This was fun. He put his sword away and got a sharp kunai out. He raced after Sasuke like he was just racing, and when he knew that Sasuke saw him attacked. Sasuke managed to duck in time and Naruto flew over him, going headfirst into a tree. He laughed again and tossed his kunai, hitting Sasuke in the thigh. Sasuke cried out and fell to one knee, eyes closed and head aimed up.

Naruto walked over to him casually, and took out another kunai. He walked around the Uchiha so that he could see his eyes when he hit him. Sasuke's eyes widened and he ripped the kunai in his leg out, whipping it around to defend himself. Naruto knocked it out of his grasp and pushed Sasuke over. He let his smile grow, amused by how uncomfortable it made the other male.

"Goodbye, Sasuke-_kun._"

* * *

Sasuke watched with horror as the kunai swung down at him. It was almost an instinct to close his eyes, but he kept them open somehow. Just before the kunai was at his throat, however, something strange happened. He felt power flow through his veins, and he could see a shadow of the ninja's hand swinging down to kill him. The kunai glinted in the moonlight, and his hand flew up to cover the spot the man was going to shove the weapon into. And then the most unexpected thing happened.

* * *

Naruto's hand stopped just before the weapon could pierce Sasuke's skin. He had distinctly seen red. That much he knew. He got off of the other boy and held out a hand, grinning widely at him.

"Congratulations, Sasuke. You now have the Sharingan!"

* * *

Naruto, still disguised as his ANBU cover, led Sasuke back to their clearing to explain.

"See, I really wasn't ever going to kill you. The purpose of this was to help you achieve your Sharingan."

"But I still don't know why you didn't come get me." Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto rolled his dark brown eyes. "Well, if you didn't show up, I wouldn't have begun to train you. It was really your decision. Were you too afraid of me, or were you willing to come to me to get power? Sasuke…you can't expect things to be handed to you on a silver platter. You need to run forward and make the meal and get the platter on your own."

Sasuke took this in for a minute, content to think calmly after such a desperate battle for his life. Naruto took out a roll of bandages and nodded at Sasuke.

"Take off your pants."

"Excuse me?"

"Pervert. Look, I need to heal and then bandage your leg. If I don't, then tomorrow I'll have to amputate it."

Sasuke went pale but made no move to get up.

"Well?"

Sasuke blushed and slowly removed the article of clothing that the boy asked. He closed his eyes and flinched when he felt smooth hands on his upper thigh.

"Stop moving. I need to extract the poison. I'm not going to try anything else. Sheesh."

Sasuke tried to stay still, and he felt a soothing chakra wash over him, making him relax. Then, after a few moments, the hands receded. Naruto started to wrap the length of bandage around Sasuke's thigh, making sure it was tight enough to help but not cutting off the circulation. He made five rounds on his leg and then ripped the end off. He tucked the end into itself and used some tape to keep it in place.

"There. Done. Was that so hard?" Naruto mocked, sitting back on his heels.

"Hn."

"Answer me in a real sentence, Sasuke. Or I'll make sure your training will _double _in the next week. You won't even be able to walk."

"No, it wasn't that hard." Sasuke answered dully.

"Good. Now, you'll need to call me _something. _I can't have you using my real name or ANBU name…"

Sasuke didn't say anything; he just put his shorts back on, not looking at the man. He had wanted power, and this… ninja could give it to him, but already he was thinking that he was crazy. Even worse than Naruto, really.

"I know! You can call me…Danna."

Sasuke blinked in confusion before scowling.

"…You're kidding."

"Nope! It's either that or Sensei. And I'm going to teach you more than that… other sensei of yours."

Sasuke sighed and nodded slowly.

"Fine."

* * *

During the day, Team Seven would practice tree walking for a short time and then watch over Tazuna. Naruto continued to act like a moron, Kakashi refrained from revealing their relationship, Sasuke often went off to sleep at random times during the day, and Sakura snuck food up to her room to feed the white cat sleeping on her bed. She didn't want to tell anyone about the sweet thing, but she also didn't want to steal food, so she made it up by giving the cat some of her own food.

It was different at night, since Naruto snuck out to show Sasuke something new. He frequently sparred the boy, testing him in every field of ninja instruction. Sasuke even attempted to use a medical Jutsu just to please his peculiar sensei. Kakashi had a feeling something was up, but Naruto always left a clone with extra chakra with him to cuddle and hang out. Sakura…well she just slept.

* * *

Finally it was time to actually teach Sasuke something. Naruto couldn't put it off any longer. He made sure that the tree he was going to use was in good condition before announcing what they were going to do.

"Right. Ready to learn something new?" He questioned, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Hai, Danna."

"Good. Alright, take out ten kunai and hit that tree where I marked some 'x's'." Naruto nodded at the large tree with scratches all over it.

"…Fine." Sasuke knew better than to argue.

Naruto watched Sasuke quickly aim and throw all ten kunai at the targets, effectively hitting the center in each of them.

"Happy?"

"For now. Take them out and do it again."

Sasuke groaned but tugged the weapons out, going back to where his midnight-sensei was waiting. He turned to throw the weapons, and he got through two of them before he felt something close to him. He spun around, brandishing a kunai in front of him. Naruto was the only one there, and he sighed.

"Are you trying to scare me?"

"Is it working?"

The Uchiha went back to hitting the targets. Again he felt his teacher near him, but he ignored it and continued to make his mark each throw. On his seventh toss, the other ninja slid closer, pressing his body up against Sasuke's back. The air-born weapon went off into a bush somewhere, trajectory changed due to the thrower being startled. The raven was stark-still, waiting for the male to get off.

"Keep going." He murmured, playing with Sasuke's hair.

"…Yes, Danna." Sasuke swallowed thickly and continued to chuck his last two kunai.

* * *

Naruto could have laughed. He wished he could. But if he did, then the kid might take offence and put both of them in a bad mood. He watched as Sasuke went to retrieve the weapons again, hurrying away from his teacher. Naruto almost let a smile slip, but he held it back. Sasuke didn't realize it yet, but this would help more than he knew. If he could effectively throw weapons accurately when being seduced, then you can do just about everything. Keeping cool as a ninja was _vital _to missions.

"Again." He commanded, latching on once more.

_I'm just glad I'm a clone tonight. I only want Kakashi…_

* * *

The next morning was fun. Naruto, being loud and obnoxious around his team, could basically do whatever he wanted and not be called out. So all morning he 'accidentally' tripped over everything, touching or slapping Sasuke. The raven flinched away each time, showing visible discomfort at each bit of contact. It was amazing.

* * *

Sasuke hesitated on the windowsill that night. He knew that Danna knew best, but if the lessons were going to be that embarrassing, then why even bother? He was just musing it over when his door swung open quietly. A shadow entered his room and he recognized his female teammate. Sakura. Oh great. Just what he needed.

"Sasuke-kun, where are you going?" She whispered curiously.

"Just…admiring the moon."

"..With full gear?"

Damn. She had him there.

"It's nothing, Sakura. Just forget it."

"But Sasuke-kun…"

"Just forget it!" His anger pitched and he turned to her, Sharingan spinning.

Her eyes widened and she stumbled back. Her crush had gotten his Sharingan!

"Oh, Sasuke-kun… you activated your-"

"I know." He cut her off.

"That's-"

"Just leave me alone, Sakura."

Hurt filled her eyes and she pouted. Then she sighed and left the room, dejected. He waited two more minutes before leaping down into the street, running for the clearing he trained in every night. He was so focused on collecting his emotions that he didn't notice the pink blur following him.

* * *

Naruto picked up on the chakra signature the moment it started following his student. He was successfully hiding in a large tree, in the shadows with his mask on. So when Sasuke entered the clearing and gazed around for his teacher, he didn't move. Sakura would be right after him. He just hoped that the boy wouldn't be so stupid as to-

"Danna? Where are you?"

-call out for him. Fuck.

* * *

Sasuke called out for his sensei, irritated enough to even think about pissing his teacher off. He spun around when he heard a twig crack, holding a sharpened kunai in his right hand. Sakura stumbled backwards, frightened of the glinting metal. She covered her face with her arms, cowering.

"…Sakura? What are you doing here?"

Instead of answering his question, she asked one of her own, "Who's 'Danna'?"

Sasuke lowered his weapon and shrugged.

"I don't know."

"I heard you ask where they were. Who's Danna?"

"That would be me." Naruto figured it was time for him to barge in. He was already figured out.

Sakura took another half-step back, eyes widened. Her gaze searched the ninja's clothing, size, and mask. From her knowledge, that clothing style and mask were… ANBU!

"Wh-what are you doing here, ANBU-san?"

"None of your business!" he spoke in a false cheer.

"He's my teacher" Sasuke admitted. He didn't see any use in hiding it anymore.

"…But, Kakashi-sensei…"

"Doesn't teach us anything useful." Sasuke deadpanned.

Naruto's hand twitched but he didn't say anything. He let them duel it out.

"But…he taught us water walking!"

"What else?"

"…Tree walking?"

"See. He hasn't taught us anything after that. I found myself a new sensei so that I can get more power. If you were smart, then you'd join me."

Sakura pondered this, imagining herself helping Sasuke and getting a date out of it.

"Okay! I'll train with you!"

"Who'll be your teacher?" Naruto questioned, sounding lazy behind his proclain mask.

Both Genin were startled. "I...I thought you would teach me."

"I never agreed to anything other than helping Sasuke. If you want a teacher so bad, go find one. Do something for yourself for once. Weak." Naruto snorted, making Sakura's eyes widen and then narrow.

She ran forward, rather clumsily, to punch him. She packed a pretty mean punch, since Naruto always complained about it when she hit him… She aimed for that mask and shot her hand forward, eyes focused on Sasuke's teacher. Right before she hit, however, a hand shot out and caught her fist. Her eyes widened dramatically and she was pushed backwards, tripping and falling onto her back. A sharp pain went through her body, and she struggled to get up.

"Like I said. Weak." Naruto scoffed, drawing his sword to finish her.

* * *

Sasuke was suddenly there, holding a kunai against the ANBU's sword. He grimaced and used all his strength to push Naruto away. Naruto's eyes lit up and he tossed his mask aside, showing them both his Genjutsu'd face. He grinned ferally and tossed his weapon to the side as well. He ducked a hail of shirukin and kunai and pounced forward, barreling into Sasuke. Sasuke snarled and started clawing at Naruto, grunting when they hit against a tree. He kicked out, but Naruto wasn't there anymore.

"Stop!"

Naruto was backed away from the raven, reaching around to grasp Sakura. The pinkette had latched onto the male, hitting him over the head with her fists. He wore an annoyed expression, and finally Naruto backed himself into a tree trunk – hard.

Sasuke rushed forward, going low for his Danna's ankles. He missed but managed to get all three of them to the ground. He shoved Sakura away and reached for Naruto. The black-haired ninja laughed and rolled away, clutching a kunai in his hand. He waved it around Sasuke's hand, warding him off for a moment. Sasuke backed up a little, holding a bruised rib.

"Don't. Touch. Her."

"Awwww, Sasuke's protecting a precious person!"

Sakura gazed up at her crush from the cold ground. She felt her cheeks heat up, glad that the dark hid her blush.

"He doesn't like me…" she mumbled to the strange man.

"Aw, he doesn't? I can't _imagine _why not." Naruto mocked.

"Shut up. Look, Sakura, go back to Tazuna's house. Forget about this. I'll teach you later or something." If only to shut her up.

"No no, Sasuke. Let her say something for herself. I think you two would make a great team, actually. It's a good thing you showed up tonight, Sakura! I would have looked forever for someone to pair this idiot with. Now, what do you say? Do you want to get stronger, Sakura? It's your choice."

Sakura slowly stood up, gaze flitting from Sasuke to 'Danna' and back to Sasuke. She bit her lip, trying to work out what she would decide.

"Y-Yes. I want to be strong."

* * *

Naruto's face lit up in a fake grin.

"Good! Now, since Sasuke knows the drill by now, I'll leave him with a clone. I'll start you right away!"

He made a shadow clone and started it on moving the litter away from where they were just sparring. Sasuke glanced at Sakura for a moment, but sighed and peeled off his shirt. The real Naruto went over to him and placed his palms on the wounds Sasuke pointed to, healing it before moving on to the other wounds. Sakura blushed at how straightforward they were. Sasuke slipped on his shirt when the black-haired ninja was done and pulled part of his pants away from his body.

"You got me here the other day and I think it reopened" he murmured.

Sakura was staring at them, confused to no end. Naruto just shoved his hand against the open cut and healed it, finishing quickly and bounding away to Sakura.

"Alright! Any cuts, bruises, pain?"

Sakura, still a little confused at what happened, shook her head no.

"Oh come now, don't be shy. I know I got you with at least one kunai. I did hurt you, right? Let me fix it."

Sakura looked over to Sasuke, who nodded shortly at her before moving on to work with the clone.

"Now, where does it hurt?"

Sakura blushed and shook her head again.

"Well, if you don't let me heal you, you'll be useless to your team. And I can't teach you." Naruto's grin was wide and cheery.

"…Here." Sakura pointed to a spot on her own thigh, making no move to lift her short dress to help him.

"…Anywhere else?" he questioned, already on his knees and pushing the red fabric aside. He slowly pulled her gray shorts away from her body, only moving them enough to see where she was hurt. He began to press his hand against the spot, fingers pulsing with green chakra.

"H-hey" Sakura sputtered, trying to back away. "Don't t-try anything perverted."

Naruto looked sharply up at the female.

"I would never." He spat, fingers inches away from the bruise on her leg. "It would demean not just you, but my status as a ninja."

Sakura felt a little relieved, and when his hand finally contacted her skin she relaxed. The calming feel of the healing chakra soothed her thoughts. The ninja healing her seemed to sense this, and he examined her whole body for marks of injury before settling back on his heels.

"Anything else?" he questioned again, ending the dance of chakra on her skin.

"Uhh, n-no…"

"Good. Now, show me everything you know…"

* * *

With the clone, Sasuke was again set to the task of throwing kunai at trees. The targets were getting a little more difficult, but it wasn't a problem to hit them. So far, the Genin hadn't been able to hit one, though. He growled in frustration. _This is all his fault! Not mine!_ He threw another only to be distracted by a nibbling on his ear. The ninja was steadfast in embarrassing him, and he wished that his sensei would tell him what he was trying to teach him by sexual harassing him.

"D-danna" he finally spoke, hating himself for the small stutter.

"Yes?" the ninja purred.

"Why are you doing this? I can't help but think that you aren't helping me at all."

"Why, Sasuke-kun! I'm surprised!" The more experienced male reeled back, looking shocked. Sasuke knew that he was being mocked. Danna always used –kun when mocking.

"Please, just tell me or stop. I need power, and this isn't the way to my goal."

Naruto dropped the act and scorned his student. "Sasuke, you need to learn humility. Female ninjas need to learn this too, really, and the art of seduction is very important. You never know when a stranger comes on to you in the heat of the battle. If you can't function when something like this happens, then you will be dead."

While he was talking, the black-haired male reached down Sasuke's pants and left his hand there, not moving. He smirked when the Uchiha's face paled.

"Right. If this happened sometime in the future, you wouldn't be able to do anything. _You will get raped by the enemy if you don't learn how to ignore it." _

Sasuke had finally reacted, spurred on by his teacher's wise words. He tugged the arm out of his pants, blushing, and turned his head to the side. Humility was not something he was familiar with.

"Then by all means, teach me. But I want to know one more thing. How far are you going to go?"

"How far are you willing to go?" Naruto responded back, looking Sasuke straight in the eyes.

* * *

In truth, it hadn't taken long for Naruto to figure out what Sakura knew. She knew quite a lot, but she couldn't use it. None of it was useful. Well, a lot of it was, but not if you couldn't implement it. She could not.

"Sakura, run up and down that tree. Ten times. Then run around those three trees twice. No stopping. Any pausing or slowing down will mean more running after. Ready? Go."

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura got back to the house around four. They were supposed to wake up again at six, but when Kakashi knocked on their doors they didn't stir. The masked man just shrugged and went back to his room with Naruto. The blond was just waking up, and he looked so adorable when he sat up and yawned, rubbing at his right eye with a fist.

"Hey, Naruto" he murmured softly.

"Mmm, Kakashi..." the blond yawned again, turning to gaze at the older man.

"Morning." Kakashi spoke quietly, "How is my cute little sempai today?"

"Bored" Naruto answered truthfully. "I haven't been able to do much after killing Gato and Zabuza."

"Ah. That's true…"

"Maybe we could have a spar while the kids watch over Tazuna?" Naruto implored innocently.

"Hm…"

* * *

So now the two strongest ninjas on Team Seven were fighting, using Naruto's 'idiocy' to pretend Kakashi had to help him with tree walking. In reality, Kakashi was probably learning more from his boyfriend, not the other way around.

Naruto flashed Kakashi a grin and slipped under his defenses, using his height to his advantage. He slammed his fist into Kakashi's chest, pushing him back into a tree. The masked man fought for breath, using a leg to kick the boy away. He pulled down his cloth mask and sucked in more air, narrowing his eyes at the blond. He slid it up again and tried again to track Naruto's movements with his Sharingan.

Naruto hammered his side with a round-about kick, knocking the wind out of the older man once again. He finally broke and rushed forward, on the offense for the third time since they started. Naruto slipped back into a comfortable stance and motioned the man forward with a hand. Kakashi faked to one side by looking to that side, and then darted down to head-butt Naruto in the stomach.

The blond was surprised, and he could only blink for a moment. Kakashi was reaching around him to pull him to the ground and pin him, but Naruto put his hands together in a single fist and hit Kakashi on the middle of his back, forcing the silver-haired ninja down. Naruto was dragged with him, strong hands around his ankles. He sighed and released Kakashi's hair where he had been trying to drag him up.

"That was fun." He spoke gently.

"M'not done yet" Kakashi mumbled, rolling closer and tickling Naruto's sides.

The blonds eyes widened and he tried to squirm away, pushing at Kakashi's hands. Said man just attacked stronger, tickling Naruto's stomach and sides like his life depended on it. Naruto started laughing, protesting through tears of joy and gasps for breath. Eventually the elder ninja eased up a little, and Naruto started tickling back. Kakashi wiggled to the side and fended off the blond, his back scraping against the dirt.

They spent another ten minutes laughing and tickling each other, enjoying each other's company. Kakashi wished it lasted longer, since he hadn't ever seen Naruto laugh. Other than when he was acting like a moron, but that was a fake happiness. This was the true Naruto. This was the Naruto he loved.

But of course, it all had to be ruined. Kami had hated him ever since he was born, taking first his mother, then his father. That hate had also taken from him his best friend, his first love, and his sensei. He had no one left, until Naruto. The blond had picked him up and put him back together, just like a tricky puzzle that no one else wanted to even attempt. He was glad that the boy took an interest in him, because otherwise he would be dead.

* * *

They were alerted to the danger when all of Naruto's clones just…poofed. All at once, Naruto wasn't laughing anymore. He was holding in a scream, since five-hundred clones worth of memories came flooding into his brain, all clambering for attention. Kakashi pinned his wrist and legs down so he didn't flail and hurt himself. Naruto finally opened his eyes and shoved the other man off him. One word destroyed their fleeting happiness.

"Itachi."


End file.
